


Howling in the Gale

by zinjadu



Series: Knight-Errant [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Battle, Betrayal, Death, Gen, Prophetic Visions, Ringo Vinda, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-02 03:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8650207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinjadu/pseuds/zinjadu
Summary: Ahsoka, on her way to rendezvous with Anakin and continue the fight for the Republic, has a vision.  Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Barriss Offee struggles to make the other Jedi listen as she holds to her convictions about the darkness in the war.  Working at opposite ends, these two (former?) friends find they might have to meet in the middle to save what is worth saving.However, Ahsoka, Anakin and their men need to take the Ringo Vinda station first.  That is, if they can.





	1. Whispers

Ahsoka sat bolt upright in her bunk, her breath quick and shallow, her hunter’s eyes wide and taking in the details of the room in spite of the night-darkness. With careful and hard-won patience, she took control of her breathing, letting the anxiety and, she could be honest, fear flow through her and into the Force. As she calmed, she realized that she had balled the sheets in her fists and let her hands relax as well. This did not mean that her fear was gone, just that she could think clearly, could make choices that were not knee-jerk fear-driven ones.

 

It was something every youngling learned how to do, but took a lifetime of practice. Or two years fighting in a war where men’s lives depended on your quick and logical thinking.

 

“It was only a dream,” she said to herself softly, but as soon as she said it, she knew she had just lied to herself.

 

They had all been told that visions were not to be trusted. The Dark side obscured the Force, twisted things, and should have made visions for a Jedi working in the Light all but impossible.

 

It seemed, however, that she was chock full of impossibilities.

 

Because she knew that was a vision. It had the ring of truth to it that could not be ignored.

 

She had few options, now that she was mostly on her own. As close as she was to her troopers, this was Jedi stuff to the highest degree. They would be sympathetic and listen, giving what comfort and assurances that they could, but ultimately unable to help her find her way in the maze of her vision. Erel, although brilliant and possessed of the traditionally twisty Corellian mind, was not well versed in what he thought of as mysticism.

 

But she knew who she had to talk to, she was putting it off because there was something holding her back. Something lingering in the back of her mind that made her hesitate.

 

Still, there was no one better.

 

Sliding out of bed, Ahsoka reached out to turn on the comm and then hesitated, her fingers curling away from the button. Then she grimaced at her own indecision. Decisively, firmly, she turned the comm on and used her direct access clearance codes.

 

“Huhza-wah, Ahsoka?” Anakin’s voice came through loud and clear, and she could hear the note of nearly panicked concern in his voice.

 

“I’m fine, Anakin,” she said quickly, smiling at how he still worried about her. “But I need some advice.” She heard a rustling of sheets and clothing and then he appeared on her screen. Ahsoka smiled to see him. It hadn’t been long since they had left the Temple together, but she had missed him.

 

“You can always come to me for advice, Ahsoka, I told you that,” he said earnestly.

 

“I’m calling, aren’t I?” she asked archly, and he let out a low chuckle.

 

“Alright, alright, what’s happened?” he asked, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. With an indrawn breath, she steadied herself and then spoke.

 

“I had a vision, and I think, I think you aren’t going to like the message,” she admitted. He frowned then, that half worried half belligerent frown that told her that he would try to find a way out for her, if he could. Or bull through until he fixed the situation to his satisfaction.

 

It was reassuring, but with distance, she knew this was part of the reason why she hesitated to contact him in the first place.

 

Anakin ‘fixing’ things didn’t necessarily go as planned.

 

But then he sighed, as though he was letting go of his own emotions. For once.

 

“Snips,” he began softly, leaning forward toward the camera, arms dropping away from his chest. “I told you that if you ever have a vision, I’d believe you. I’ll listen to you. I would never, ever, tell you to ignore it, just because _I_ won’t like it.”

 

“Thanks Skyguy, I… thank you,” she said, feeling lighter. And since there was no time like the present, she launched into what she could remember. “It was hard to retain it all, but I could feel… death. So much death. Horror, pain, betrayal. I think I saw Jedi and troopers fighting. Fighting each other, I think, but it was so confusing.”

 

“Ahsoka, the troopers would never betray us,” Anakin said flatly. She shook her head, holding her hands to keep them still.

 

“They might. Some might. Rex and Fives and Wolffe and Bly? Men like that, no, not ever. But men who are new out of Kamino? I don’t know, Skyguy. It was so fast, so… red,” she said, not sure why she thought of that color, simply that she did.   Red, red, the color of Sith.

 

“I told you you wouldn’t like it,” she pointed out. He sighed and looked away from the camera.

 

“You’re right, I don’t. But I’ll be seeing you soon,” he said, turning back to her. “We’ll find the time to meditate on this together, okay?”

 

“You? Willingly meditate?” she teased, trying to break the tension that hovered around her now. He snorted in amusement.

 

“Only when it matters, Snips, and this matters,” he said, words serious, but the smile and spark in his eyes told her that he had every confidence of getting to the bottom of this. “Now, I know it’ll be hard, but try to get some sleep.”

 

“I’ll try,” she allowed. “See you soon, Skyguy.”

 

“See you soon, Snips,” he returned, and signed off.

 

Alone again in her bunk, she sat back in the chair, drawing her legs up to her chest and resting her head on her knees. She didn’t know if she could go back to sleep, not with what waited for her there. Part of her wanted to go bother her troopers, or snuggle up to them like she used to do when she had been fourteen and new to the war. But she was their general now, and older, though she craved that simple, honest comfort still.

 

Instead, she called her sabers to her and went down to the practice bay. She hoped a few katas would clear her mind.

 

But she didn’t know if it could ever rid herself of the image of a man with golden eyes looking at her but not _seeing_ her, eyes cold and hard. A man moments away from killing her.

 

*

 

On Coruscant, Barriss Offee slowly opened her eyes to find Master Luminara standing before her. The woman who had, once, in her mind been the perfect Jedi had uncertainty in the line of her shoulders and sorrow in her eyes. Barriss tensed at the woman’s presence, a reminder of her own failure and blindness.

 

“Barriss, I hoped we might be able to speak,” Luminara offered. It had been several days since her former Master had come to see her last. Had Barriss felt any lingering sympathy for the woman, she would have said that Luminara looked haunted, shadowed.

 

Currently, Barriss only thought it fitting.

 

Besides, there was only one person whose forgiveness she wanted.

 

“You may speak,” Barriss said, leaving unspoken the fact that Barriss did not have to listen or respond in any way. With a slight puff of breath, the barest huff of worry and frustration, Luminara sat before her former Padawan.

 

“I am here for your Barriss,” the woman said, “and it will be to my everlasting regret that I did not see this darkness in you earlier…”

 

Barriss laughed, a hard edge still here in her voice, and her mind.

 

“The darkness isn’t in me,” Barriss clarified. “It’s in this galaxy, in this Republic, in this Order. And you are too self-assured in yourself to see it. But I see it. Others see it. It reaches out and makes itself known to those who are willing to look. But not you.”

 

“You are not well, Barriss. I had thought you were getting better. They allowed you to write to your friend, to Knight-Errant Tano,” Luminara said, face and voice both betraying her bewilderment.

 

“I am well enough to apologies to _Ahsoka_ ,” Barriss said, stressing her friend’s name, not her new and problematic title. “She deserved that from me. I am well enough to see that I should not have tired to harm her. But my convictions, no. They have not changed. Thus, I am not _well enough_ ,” she hissed, “to leave the Temple grounds.”

 

There was a long moment of silence, as Luminara gazed at the younger woman, her eyes searching for something. Light, Barriss knew, hope. Things that Barriss could not find in herself any more. She could still heal, could still wield the Force, but it came from a different place now, and she was not sure if she could or even wanted to go back.

 

“I see,” Luminara said softly. Barriss huffed dismissively.

 

“No, you don’t,” Barriss said flatly. “But others do. Others cannot help but see.”

 

And Luminara shivered, because in spite of her instincts to call Barriss mad, to deny the words that spilled from her mouth, it had the terrible ring of truth.

 

The Darkness had come, and the Light might not be sufficient to help them find their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liiiiiive! 8D Will try to update once a week, but holidays, family, and other life things are a bit more immediate now. <3


	2. Rumblings

Rex stood just to the right and behind his general, but he could see that something was wrong, in the line of her shoulders and the ever so slight abstracted tone in her voice. They were waiting for the _Resolute_ to dock, and Ahsoka had insisted on greeting Skywalker when he arrived. Leaning forward, he kept his voice low, pitched just for her montrals.

 

“You aren’t anxious, are you?” he asked, somewhat surprised. Ahsoka hardly looked to Skywalker for approval, though he gave it readily. She looked back at him, one white brow raised, an amused light in her eye breaking into the nervous gloom of her demeanor. She shook her head.

 

“No, though I do have to talk about something with him,” she said tersely, that furrow of tension returning to her face. Then she turned to regard him more fully. “I have something to talk about with you too, but I think it can wait until after the mission.”

 

“Something not mission critical, then, I take it,” he said, mulling that over. From time to time, Ahsoka had sought him out when she needed advice. The night before she became a Knight-Errant being a recent example. But she always did so relatively quickly, without hedging and tip-toeing around the subject. This was new, this cageyness.

 

It made him want to drag her to the medbay, pour that stars-awful alcohol of hers down her throat and make her talk, like Kix did with the shinies that needed to let out whatever was bothering them. He knew the futility of that, however. Ahsoka would talk exactly when she wanted to talk and not a moment before. Idly, he thought it wasn’t really fair. When she determined he needed to talk, all she had to do was look at him with those big blue eyes with that Jedi _knowing_ , when he could see how old she was in her soul if not in body, and the words would pour out.

 

What that left him with was a Jedi General with shadows in her eyes and nothing he could do to help. Not for the first time, Rex cursed the fact that while troopers might be custom made to help Jedi, anticipate how they fought, act as ideal support, and cover their backs, there was little they could do in situations like this.

 

“Not mission critical,” she confirmed, letting a wry grin escape her. She likely could sense some of his concern, but he kept his emotions contained, focusing on his calm. He was about to say something more, but then the docking doors opened.

 

Skywalker strode forward, Appo at his side as Rex was at Ahsoka’s. Then Rex smiled to see General Fisto and Zonder follow in as well. Then Skywalker, being Skywalker, smiled to see his former Padawan and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. There was a look between them that Rex couldn’t miss, which made sense given Ahsoka’s very Jedi worry at the moment. But then Skywalker pulled himself away and greeted Rex the trooper way, clasping forearms.

 

“Good to see you Rex,” he said, with his usual cock-sure smile but the shadow was in his eyes too. “Been keeping up with your new General okay?”

 

Rex grinned.

 

“She moves fast in spite of her little legs, but I manage,” he said laconically, and Skywalker laughed. An honest to stars laugh. Even General Fisto let out a low chuckle, and Zonder grinned sharply.

 

“It’s good you think you’re funny, Rex. At least you amuse yourself,” his general said dryly, something of the usual spark back in her eyes. His grin got wider as he looked at her, and he saw that she knew what he was up to. Knew, and appreciated it.

 

“Oh no, I found it most amusing,” General Fisto said, and Ahsoka rolled her eyes with only a modicum of theater.

 

“Glad to be of service, sir,” Rex said. Then he turned to Zonder. “Good to see you too, Commander. Fives will be happy to see you.” That made the large Selonian perk up.

 

“I’m glad he’s well, and I will be happy to see him, too,” Zonder said brightly.

 

“Yes, I would also like to meet Fives,” General Fisto said. “His perspective is… unique.”

 

“You could say that about him,” Appo drawled, and Rex only quirked an eyebrow at the younger commander’s assessment of Fives. But before Rex could put his brother in his place when it came to inter-battalion quips, Skywalker spoke again.

 

“We’ll have plenty of time to chat once he hit hyperspace again,” he said, his attention clearly returning to Ahsoka. The undercurrent of tension between the former master and apprentice had to be noticeable to Fisto and Zonder, but if they were aware of it, they gave no indication. “Rex, why don’t you and Appo work out a suitable division of men. We’ve got two battalions but four Jedi, and you’re familiar with everyone here. I’ll trust your take on it.”

 

“If Skywalker trusts you, I shall defer to your better judgment, Commander,” Fisto agreed. “I believe Zonder and I shall take advantage of the space available and indulge in a little saber practice. Comm if you will need us.”

 

“Yes, sirs,” he said, and then looked at Ahsoka, who was oddly distracted. Technically, any Jedi could give him commands, but she was his general now. At the weight of his gaze, she came back to herself and nodded.

 

“Sounds good to me, Rex,” she said. “Sorry, a bit distracted right now with the upcoming mission. Just make sure Tup is with me. He’s good, but…”

 

“I read you, sir,” Rex said. With a jerk of his head, he signaled to Appo that they should leave. His younger brother followed him without too much hesitation, and they left in the opposite direction of Fisto and Zonder. Rex made a mental note to get Fives down to the training area to meet up with the Selonian.

 

As they walked away, Rex kept an eye on Appo. He had been thrust into command rather abruptly, and only because all of the 501st’s best command staff had gone to the 332nd. He still carried himself stiffly, but Rex knew he cared about his brothers and doing everything he could to keep them alive. That stiffness, however, made it difficult to ask after him. Appo had his pride, that was for sure.

 

“He still treats you like his own captain,” Appo said, and Rex could see the tension in the other man’s jaw. Rex shrugged.

  
“Two years of habit,” Rex said, trying to pass it off as nothing more than that. “I’m General Tano’s commander now. I follow her orders.” Appo snorted dismissively and shook his head.

 

“She’s too young for her own battalion, really. She was a hell of a commander, but did you see how distracted she was back there? I’ve heard you’ve been on milk runs and now I know why. You think she can handle this?” Rex briefly considered punching his brother right in the face, but decided against it. He had to work with the man for the mission, and he wouldn’t do anything to put his other brothers in danger. They had to work together on this.

 

But he would not allow his general and his friend to be disrespected. He stopped and turned to fully face Appo, pinning the younger clone with a glare that had made other, lesser men whimper.

 

“She’s been fighting this war for longer than you have, _vod_ ,” Rex said, voice low and dangerous. “She’s hell on the field, and damn near half the men here are only alive because of her. And I’m pretty sure she’s distracted because she got a vision or some such. Skywalker was feeling it, too. Something is going on. Couldn’t you tell? The Force is screaming at them right now, I’ll bet, and they’re going to get to the bottom of it before we get to our mission.”

 

Appo blinked.

 

“I… didn’t notice any of that,” Appo admitted, holding Rex’s gaze, but a light of panic and fear in his eyes. “I don’t… I don’t know how to handle Skywalker, Rex! He’s… he’s not like any of the Jedi we were trained to work with. I served under him, but never directly with him, and, I think he looks at me and sees you and I don’t measure up!”

 

Rex sighed and closed his eyes briefly, kicking himself for not seeing that Appo’s frustration at Ahsoka was covering up something else. But then, he was hardly Kix who figured that stuff out so quickly it was almost creepy.

 

Reaching out, he put a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

 

“Come on, _vod_. We have troop assignments to make, and while we’re doing that, I’ll give you a few tips and tricks about handling Skywalker,” Rex offered. The look of relief on Appo’s face almost made Rex sorry about the talking down he’d just given the man. Almost.

 

“Thank you, _vod_ ,” Appo breathed, and then paused, giving him a sheepish look. “Sorry about bad-mouthing General Tano. She doesn’t deserve that.”

 

“Just help me keep her alive, and we’ll call it even,” Rex said, and they smiled. Because even though they were from different batches, different finishing training, all the men of Kamino agreed on one thing: the Jedi needed a lot of looking after.

 

* * *

 

Ahsoka knelt on the floor, Anakin sitting across from her, his hands palm up. They were in her quarters, the lights dimmed, and she tried to not feel nervous. But that was difficult considering they were about to delve back into the vision the Force had given her. The one that seemed impossible but she knew, knew in her bones, was not.

 

Before she could back out, she put her hands in Anakin’s and they closed their eyes.

 

They had not broken the training bond they had established, as Anakin had not broken the one he shared with Obi-Wan. Through Anakin, she could even distantly feel Obi-Wan Kenobi, a small bundle of amusement and determination at the moment. The bond made some thing easier, like fighting as a unit, and meditating together. Especially because neither of them were terribly good at it. She had gotten better, but it was never her strong suit.

 

As they sank into the Force, their breathing synced up, in and out, a calming rhythm. She felt the life around her, the men on this ship as they hurtled through hyperspace. She felt the hum of the ship, the thrum of her engines. Then she felt a strange double sensation, as she felt through Anakin’s senses as well. Then they were tumbling into the ocean that was the Force. It surrounded them and buoyed them, sweeping them along in its own current.

 

She could feel the darkness so close around now, but she focused on her vision. On the one image she could remember clearly: golden eyes without remorse looking at her over the barrel of a blaster.

 

There was a spike of shock and anger from Anakin, of sheer disbelief.

 

For a moment, Anakin’s emotions almost flung them out of their meditation, but then he seemed to let it go because they followed the thread of her vision. Back and back and back, as she ran away from her own men. Men she loved and fought and bled for. Men who were now hunting her with all the skill of Mandalorians born and bred to kill Jedi. Back and back and back, she saw them stop. Stop and listen to… something.

 

Then the vision shattered like antique glass, but instead of bright shards of light, it seemed like fragments of shadow, of darkness itself, lodged into her mind, burning and freezing at the same time.

 

“Ahsoka!” Anakin cried as he shook her out of the Force.

 

“I’m here! I’m back!” she gasped, looking up at Anakin and his terrified expression. They were still on the floor, but he had pulled her to him, trying to get any reaction out of her.

 

He took a deep breath, steadying himself, and then nodded. He did not, however, let her go so quickly.

 

“What the hell was that?” he asked, voice strangled.

 

“What I saw that night,” she said, heart heavy. The troopers were going to betray them. Though, perhaps, not through their own volition. That was something. A glimmer of hope.

 

“We need to tell Obi-Wan about this,” Anakin said firmly.

 

“Not the Council?” she asked, though secretly relieved not to be put in the Council’s line of sight again. Once every sixteen years was enough, she felt. Anakin shook his head and she put a little distance between them.

 

“Not them. Master Yoda could maybe be helpful on his own, but everyone? No, we’ll need to be careful about this,” he said. Ahsoka couldn’t help but smirk.

 

“Are you sure you’re Anakin Skywalker?” she asked. “Because I’m pretty sure he couldn’t do careful to save his life. In fact, he hasn’t. I know, because I’ve been there for it.”

 

“Very funny,” he said dryly. “But I’m serious, Ahsoka. This is… so bad I don’t even have words for it. Only people we trust without question.”

 

“What about Rex?” she asked softly, feeling something clench in her chest at the idea of keeping this from him. He deserved to know. The troopers deserved to know, but right now secrecy might be their only defense. Anakin sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

 

“I don’t know. Rex is solid, and I can’t imagine that he would hurt you. Ever. Especially after he jumped out of that damned pipe for you.” Anakin sighed again. “Your call, Ahsoka. I know you two are good friends.”

 

She nodded, knowing it prudent to not mention to Anakin that she and Rex were maybe becoming something more than good friends, albeit at a glacial pace. Though she wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about Rex, but now was not the time to sort that out. There was too much to handle without throwing something like that on top of it all.

 

“After this mission, I’ll make my call then,” she said.

 

“I can agree with that,” he allowed, and then put his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye. “We will figure this out, Ahsoka. Together.”

 

She smiled.

 

“I know we will, Anakin,” she said, feeling like maybe, just maybe, the could hold this dark future at bay.

 

* * *

 

Tup smiled to see Zonder, and he nudged Fives as the Selonian arrived in the training bay. Fives brightened, and they made their way over to the Padawan and his master.

 

“Good to see you again, Zonder,” Fives said brightly, and there were hand clasps all around.

 

“And you as well, Fives. And you, Captain Tup,” Zonder said, and Tup felt himself grin wider at Zonder remembering him even though they didn’t work together directly.

 

“Would you introduce us, Zonder?” the other Jedi asked, a Nautolan. Zonder nodded enthusiastically.

 

“Of course, Master. This is ARC-trooper Fives, and Captain Tup,” Zonder said. “My friends, this is Master Kit Fisto.”

 

“General,” Fives and Tup said together, training taking hold. General Fisto waved his hand absently, as though to ward off their use of the title.

 

“Please, my friends, let us not stand on ceremony,” Fisto said, and Tup found himself liking the man already. “I was simply hoping that my Padawan and I might be able to have some space to train. We mostly travel in a small ship and do not have the luxury of such space.”

 

“Of course, sir!” Tup said immediately. Fives would be forever about arranging anything for them, so Tup took charge. Tup loved his brother dearly, but Fives was, well. Fives.

 

“We can set up a little area for you both, warded off course. Standard procedure when you Jedi wave those lightsabers around,” he said, feeling more confident than he used to with unfamiliar Jedi. Once, he would have never been able to talk to them, but now he easily made conversation and even could joke a little with them.

 

“That would be most kind,” Fisto said, “but I do not wish to disrupt your own training.”

 

“No trouble at all, sir, though if you want, some of the men could help you train. We do that with General Tano a fair amount. It helps keep us all sharp,” Tup offered. Fisto grinned.

 

“Perhaps I will take you up on that, Tup,” the Jedi Master said. Tup straightened up a little more, though he caught Fives’ eye roll and Zonder’s canine grin. _Well_ , he thought to himself, _they can think I’m just sucking up, but I like to serve_.

 

Tup gathered a few of his brothers for training. Hammer, Thorn, and Ram in particular were good for training with Jedi. He set them against Fisto. Some of the younger ones, like Pel, Yarin, and Lucky, he set against Zonder. He even took a turn himself, but as he was charging General Fisto, he stumbled.

 

Training abruptly stopped and Fisto knelt next to him, Kix already shouldering through the crowd.

 

“Are you alright, Tup?” Fisto asked, concern lacing every word. Tup felt a bit ashamed to be falling and stumbling like that, and he knew that between Kix and Ahsoka, he would be kept out of the fight if he was ill. So he nodded.

 

“Fine, fine, sir. Thank you for your concern. Just a bit of a headache, I think. Too much hanging out with Fives and listening to his terrible jokes. It catches up to a man eventually,” he said, trying to keep his tone light, but he could feel the tension behind his eyes. Then Kix was at his side.

 

“Tup,” Kix started to say, but then Tup waved his brother off.

 

“I’m fine, Kix. Just give me some pain meds, and I’ll be good for the mission. I’ll even take preemptive bed rest, just to get you off my back, alright?” he asked. Kix nodded, but reluctantly.

 

“Alright, Tup, but I’m holding you to it,” Kix threatened.

 

“I know, I know, medical outranks command,” Tup recited. “I’m sorry, sir…”

 

“It is nothing. Rest. We will need you soon,” Fisto said, and Tup nodded, leaving. As he left, he clapped Fives on the shoulder.

 

“Fives, take over would you?” he asked. Fives gave him a long look, and Tup remembered that for all of Fives’ goofing off, the man saw more than most people gave him credit for. But after that moment, he nodded.

 

“Get some rest, _vod_ ,” Fives said softly, and then strode forward. “Alright! Where were we?”

 

As Tup shuffled off to his bunk, his Captain’s solo bunk, he tried to block out all the noise and light he could. To find some comfort in the pain meds, and hoped he would be well enough to fight. He didn’t want to disappoint his brothers by staying behind. Because he was a good soldier, and he would always do his duty.

 

* * *

 

Ahsoka stood on the bridge of the _Adamant_ as they came out of hyperspace, the fighter squadrons screaming out of her ship and the _Resolute_ toward their objective. Anakin and Gold Squadron were out there, while she was coordinating the landing party. The goal was to soften up the defenses and let her land as the advance party, where Kit and Zonder would join her, which would give Anakin and his men enough time to make the final landing.

 

“Tup, how are we looking?” she asked, and frowned at the hesitation that was unlike Tup.

 

“Ah, good, General. We should be clear to land after the next pass,” he said.

 

“Sound the call to general quarters,” she said, and then turned to her Admiral. “Kersos, the bridge is yours.”

 

“Acknowledged, Tano,” the Corellian said, and she strode to the turbolift, Tup at her heels.

 

“You feeling alright, Tup?” she asked softly in the privacy of the lift.

 

“I’m fine, General,” Tup said shortly. Ahsoka gave him a quick look, but let it pass.

 

“Alright,” she allowed. “Get the men ready. Ringo Vinda won’t fall easily.”

 

“Yes, General,” he said, and Ahsoka felt a wave of trepidation worm through her gut again, though she couldn’t say why.

 

* * *

 

Barriss Offee woke alone in her cell-like room in the Jedi Temple. Since she had committed to her course of action, she had been able to feel more of the Force, more of its warnings and insights. And now, she felt the darkness rising, and she smiled to feel it build. Because the Force told her this was the beginning of the end for the Jedi Order, and she would be vindicated at last.

 

Then she frowned, as she felt something else. A single light burning against the dark.

 

 _Ahsoka_ , Barriss knew.

 

Suddenly, Barriss did not feel so at ease in her choices. Because Ahsoka would never give up, never accept a fate so dark and void of hope. Because Ahsoka would fight.

 

And Barriss would never have the forgiveness she craved.

 

It was, perhaps, time to take a more proactive role once again. If only to save the young woman she had once tried to destroy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Once a week posting goal hit! 
> 
> Poor Tup. He's about to have a really bad time.


	3. Giving Voice

Once, not long ago, Barriss had walked the halls of the Jedi Temple without comment. In fact, few would notice her, she was so quiet. Contained. Small.

 

But now?

 

Those days were well and truly past.

 

Part of her simmered in anger at the stares, the obvious and sideways alike, Jedi unable to believe that she was allowed what small freedoms she had won for herself. _Sick_. That was what they called her. Mace Windu and Yoda had passed that verdict. Vokara Che had agreed.

 

Barriss was still unsure if she was sick or merely seeing things for the first time. Seeing for herself. But, in order to gain what she wanted, she had to do what was expected of her.

 

She had to at least try to get well.

 

Whatever that meant.

 

Instead of letting the anger eat at her, as she had once done, she twisted it about herself like a cloak, a barrier against their self-righteous judgment. Lifting her head, she did not acknowledge the suspicion she could feel sliding past her like oil on water, nor did she snap at the spikes of hostility she felt striking against what calm she could manage to maintain. It all rebounded off of her anger, her refusal to give in and prove them right about her.

 

She had defied them once, and she would continue to do so, though perhaps not in the way they all expected.

 

Focused on maintaining her composure, Barriss found she reached her destination before she had anticipated. Although she was not allowed outside Temple grounds, she did have a fair run of the place. Now, she walked into the Archives, and though others noticed her, they were too preoccupied with their own studies to pay her much mind.

 

It was soothing, after the hallways, as was it to find Jocasta Nu still at her post. The old woman turned to her and smiled. It wasn’t a fake smile, but a real one. Anyone who came with humility and a desire to know was welcome here, and Barriss could manage a measure of humility for one who greeted her without derision, masked or otherwise.

 

“Master Nu,” Barriss said, keeping her voice soft not out of habit any longer, but respect for the knowledge contained in these walls. “I was hoping to do some research.”

 

“Of course, my dear,” the woman said. “But I am afraid I must ask the nature of your search. You, unfortunately, do not have unfettered access to the archives.” Barriss thought Nu’s regret was genuine, but being told, once again, that she would watched, would be held in suspicion, rankled her. A dry, logical part of her mind whispered that it was only sensible. She _had_ bombed the Temple. She had nearly killed Ahsoka.

 

But another part of her knew no matter what she did, no matter how she conformed and behaved, it would never be good enough.

 

Once one walked the path of the Dark Side, one never returned.

 

That was the current wisdom.

 

 _She_ would never be good enough again.

 

Her hands clenched at her sides, and she tried to let her anger go, but it was so great, so much greater than herself it seemed.

 

Then she breathed out and forced her hands to open. Bowing her head, she kept her voice soft and tried not to sound too upset.

 

“I simply wanted to read again, Master Nu, I had no research agenda in mind,” she said, and that was, to be fair, a bald faced lie. Nu frowned, as though about to call her out on it, but then seemed to change her mind. Perhaps the old human decided that she did not need to add insult to injury.

 

“I am sorry,” Nu said, and it looked like she actually meant it. “But unless you can tell me your research plans, I cannot allow you access to the archives. You are welcome to use our public terminals, of course, but not the ones reserved for Jedi.”

 

“Yes, of course,” Barriss said tightly. “I will return with a more specific plan.” As though any Mirialan did not generate plans in their sleep. She turned and began to stride away, however, before she got to the exit she heard a querulous voice call out.

 

“You seem to have had some difficulty in obtaining access to the archives,” the voice said, and Barriss turned to see an ancient being, the same one that had saved Ahsoka from her blade that night. Barriss tensed, ready to flee rather than give in to her anger. She was thankful that she did not kill Ahsoka that night, but her mistrust of the Jedi warred with a small flame of hope that someone might reach out to her on her terms, not their own.

 

“I am not allowed inside the archives without an approved research plan,” Barriss admitted stiffly.

 

“Hm,” the being hummed, and her mind supplied the name: Sinube. He taught younglings now. He had not when she had been small, but he had made a reappearance in the crèche. He studied her for a moment, but it was not the peering, piercing gaze of Windu or the evaluative process of Che. This was something else.

 

“What is it you want?” he asked, and she got the impression he was not asking about what she wished to study. It was a deeper question than she had expected.

 

“I…” she began to say, but then stopped. There was much she wanted. So much. More than a Jedi should, she knew. She was no longer the perfect Padawan. She had broken herself on the rocks of that ambition, and that left her aimless, lost. Wondering who and what she was now. The Jedi wished to make her a Jedi again, and she was not sure that was what she wanted.

 

“I want to be myself,” she said firmly, feeling more solid, more real to her own mind than she had in a long time. As with, with those words she was taking back something she had lost somewhere along the way.

 

Sinube smiled.

 

“A worthy goal,” he said, “and one few ever attain.”

 

“What if myself is not a Jedi?” she asked sharply.

 

“Ah, there is more to the Force than the Jedi and the Sith, my dear,” Sinube said, voice low. Those were dangerous words, even in the best of times, but with age came the ability to stop caring (so much) about what others thought. “There is much to learn, if you are to find a different path. And much to do.”

 

Barriss took a half a step forward and then stopped, a thought wormed into her mind and she had to give it voice.

 

“Who am I to you?” she asked sharply, eyes narrowed. “You called me a ‘miscreant.’ You testified against me. I hurt Ahsoka, who is your friend. Why offer your help?”

 

“You are someone who needs help, Barriss Offee,” Sinube said firmly, his eyes bright.

 

“I have a lot of _help_ these days,” Barriss said, unable to keep the sharpness out of her voice. Sinube shook his head.

 

“They help you how they think they should. Your Master stays here for you, giving command of her battalion to Tiplee and Tiplar. Adi assures the Senate that you are not a threat and that the Jedi can heal you. Vokara throws herself into your mental well-being. They try, all for you, child, do not cast a shadow upon their efforts,” Sinube said, tone strident and eyes flashing. Then he sighed.

 

“Simply because it is not the help you need, you disparage them,” Sinube continued, and Barriss felt angry all over again. Angry at the rightness of his words, at marking out her behavior as petulant. But that did not erase what she had felt in the Force. The Darkness that lurked just ahead. She felt the truth of the Darkness in her bones.

 

“I know they wish me to be well,” Barriss said softly. It moved something in her heart to know that her Master stayed at the Temple for her, had given up her command to watch over her. She knew how her Master cared for the men and saw the need to perform her duty as a Jedi. “But I may not be well again, not in the way they wish. I… I shall continue to be a disappointment.”

 

“No, my dear,” Sinube said, matching her soft tone, as he reached out and patted her arm gently. “You were right to want to be yourself, to find yourself once again. We cannot go back, only forward. You will need to find who you are becoming, not who you were.”

 

“Then, if that is the case, can you help me?” Barriss asked. Perhaps the Dark would forever be a part of her. Perhaps it was a path from which there was no return. But perhaps it would not be her doom.

 

Sinube smiled again, this time like a child with a secret.

 

“Then come with me, Barriss Offee. There’s someone I think you should meet,” he said as he led her into the archives, slipping past Jocasta Nu with a surprising amount of skill for an elderly being.

 

And, for the first time since she had felt the Dark creeping into her soul, Barriss felt something like hope, as though some kind of turning point had been reached. Some kind of moment upon which later moments would turn.

 

As to whether this would benefit or harm the one person in the galaxy she still cared about, would remain to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barriss is being difficult. But luckily Sinube decided to show up in my head.
> 
> Next chapter, we hit Ringo Vinda! (This bit went long, so its getting its own chapter, oooops.)


	4. Cry Havoc

Ahsoka leaned over Ven’s shoulder, watching out the gunship’s front window as Anakin and Gold Squadron cleared a path for them. Though the as yet unbroken training bond, she could feel Anakin’s elation, his tight focus and concentration as he spear-headed the flack run. She saw his wingmen keep up, some of the best pilots in the fleet by now, with his training, but that didn’t stop some of the men from taking a bad hit, from careening out of her field of vision, a dark smear of death in the Force.

 

But beyond those bright streaks of speeding ships, the Ringo Vinda station loomed large, circling the planet below.

 

“Tup, tell the men to brace for landing,” she called over the comms instead of using the heads up display that the men used, even after Tinker had made a mock up for her that wouldn’t mess with her montrals.

 

“Yes, sir,” her captain said, his voice carrying an anticipatory edge, and she smiled, that sharp, predator’s grin, as she heard it. She could feel the men behind her mentally getting themselves ready, sharpening their focus. Their anticipation echoed in her, as her breathing evened out and her heart rate slowed as she centered herself in the Force.

 

Then they started their landing run.

 

Gold Squadron screamed ahead of them, barreling through the droid fighters as the gunships took care of the massive turret guns. Ahsoka let herself flow with the ship, not fighting the pitch and yawl as the artificial gravity failed to keep up with their tight maneuvers. All of her attention was now tightly focused on the landing site she had chosen for her portion of the 332nd: a little used port that was, according to the station blue-prints they had, conveniently close to various power relays. The force-field over the port was strong, but the gunships, now inside the range of the turret guns, had mere seconds to knock out the force-field beams _just enough_ to let them pass but without causing station decompression.

 

“Ven, if you would be so kind as to knock,” she said, looking down at her pilot. She could hear his low chuckle, even under the helmet.

 

“Happy to oblige, General,” Ven said brightly, and launched the gunship’s missiles, where they slammed into the station, causing a satisfying amount of explosions. She held her breath a moment, as they didn’t alter course or speed, and knew that this could have a very unpleasant ending if the force-field held at full strength. They had calculated the payload necessary to accomplish the task, but a real world test was the only thing that actually mattered.

 

They were close, so close to slamming into the force-field.

 

And then it flickered.

 

“We are go to board the station!” she relayed over her comm channel, and she heard the excited cheers of the men, mostly the newer troopers. The old hands, the men who had seen at least two or three battles, men no more than twelve standard years old ( _except for Rex who was fast closing in on thirteen_ , she thought errantly and frowned, willing that away for the moment), those men were quiet, intent on the job in front of them.

 

She couldn’t say she felt much different.

 

Then they were through the damaged force-field, screaming to a halt along the floor of the landing bay, the side-doors of the gunships slid open by men while their brothers took aim at the droids that were already firing on them. Almost like a machine, the troopers covered each other as they disembarked in waves, establishing a secure area for the other landing parties.

 

Ahsoka had little to do save deflect blaster bolts that got a little too close. Her men trained hard, for all that they had their personal cantina now. Her command staff saw to that. And thinking of them, she looked back for a moment to see Tup covering the other end of the landing bay. He directed the men with confidence now, and a steady amount of encouragement when necessary. More openly earnest than Fives or Jesse, he had garnered respect from the rest of the battalion, and she was so proud to see him grow into himself.

 

Then the Force shouted at her, and she deflected a bolt with her shoto, putting her focus back where it belonged. It was not long until the last droid fell, and the Seppie admiral decided to stop wasting his resources. Ahsoka surveyed her partial strength battalion, roughly a third of them with Kit and Zonder, and saw that there were only a few casualties, and those only injuries. So far, death overlooked her men, though she knew that wouldn’t last.

 

“We’re ready for you Kit,” she said into her comm, and then the second wave started. Anakin still ran interference for Kit, Zonder, and the combined portions of the 332nd and 501st that would make up their assault group. Before long, more gunships joined her own, and Kit trotted out, Rex at his shoulder. Zonder disembarked with Jarek, one of the new ARC-troopers that Fives had suggested for the combined team.

 

The Nautolan Master grinned at her, and she couldn’t help but grin back, his good humor almost infectious.

 

“A most excellent staging area, Ahsoka,” Kit said easily, his large black eyes taking in the large area she and her men had secured. “However, the defenses are still rather substantial for this entrance. Anakin might experience heavier than acceptable losses without any fighter cover.”

 

“We’ll need to disable those turrets, then,” she allowed, her brows drawing down as she thought about how to best deploy the men in order to maintain their secure area while also making sure the third landing party had enough room.

 

Then she felt a twinge in the Force. It wasn’t like the shout from before, where she knew she was in danger, where she had to react or die. This was something subtle, something just on the edge of her ability to sense, it was so fine. Frown deepening, she turned and saw Tup with his helmeted head in one of his hands, as though he was in pain.

 

“General?” Rex asked, the concern in his voice only detectable to her montrals.

 

“Get Kix to see to Tup, quiet like, Rex. I don’t want the men loosing confidence,” she said, turning back to him, and he nodded, his now orange jaig eyes staring back at her.

 

“On it,” he said, and jogged to where Kix was and they began to confer briefly.

 

“Is everything well, Ahsoka? Is one of your men unwell?” Kit asked. Had Kit been human, or someone who didn’t know how to read lekku or have the ability to parse out truth as well as he did, she might have tried to Shaak Ti like serenity. As it was, she let her emotions show.

 

“I’m not sure. Tup seems to be in pain, but he’ll probably try to be a stubborn barve and power through,” she said, and was about to coordinate with Kit their next move to prepare for Anakin, but then she caught _Kit’s_ expression.

 

“Tup? Your newest Captain, yes? He was not well yesterday evening. He had to leave practice early, turning things over to Fives,” Kit said, and Ahsoka’s worry bloomed anew.

 

“No one told me about this,” she said sharply. Kit cocked his head at her, the smile absent from his face.

 

“We cannot save them all,” he said softly, and she knew it was the truth. They tried. They tried so hard to keep the men safe, but the harsh truth was that there was only so much they could do. Barriss’ words rang again in her mind, but that would not help anyone _here_. Here, they had a battle to win if any of them were to get out of this place intact.

 

And Anakin was due to starting his landing run in moments.

 

“Zonder!” she called out, making the Selonian look up at her, his eyes bright in his fuzzy face. “I want you to take the far corridor with some of the ARCs and lead them on a good old fashioned chase. Confuse them as best as you can.” Then she brought herself up short. “If that’s alright with you, Kit.”

 

Kit grinned.

 

“This will be a good test of your new stealth skills, my Padawan,” Kit called out as well, and Zonder drew himself up and then bowed.

 

“I will draw them away from this landing bay,” Zonder said, and then turned, his long tail swishing behind him as Jarek and a few others followed him.

 

“I think you should hold this position, while I take advantage of the confusion Zonder is sowing to take out some of the batteries,” Kit said, and Ahsoka was about to offer to come with him when he held up a forestalling hand. “I do not doubt your abilities, but there needs to be a Jedi here, and all of these men know you well. They will take your orders better than mine.”

 

She was about to protest that the 332nd and the 501st would do their duty, but then she remembered Umbara, and how the men had all but clung to her and Anakin, in their own quasi-Mandalorian way, when they had returned. That time had left its scars on her men, and they had a hard time trusting other Generals ever since.

 

“Alright, I’ll keep the area secure,” she said, and watched as Kit Fisto walked off to disable turrets and droids, a bounce in his step as ever. That left her with Tup, Jesse and Rex all looking to her for orders.

 

“Each of you take three squads, and double check the entry points,” she said, and they all gave her quick, sharp nods, each of them trotting off and gathering men as they went. This would also mean that there would be fewer men in the hangar bay for when Anakin made his appearance.

 

Then she felt him drawing close, at a break neck speed, and his gunships and the rest of the 501st slid onto the landing area with an impressive amount of sparks. She counted up the number of ships and saw that Kit had likely done well in disabling the turrets.

 

She grinned as Anakin jumped out of his ship, Appo behind him, and seeming to keep up a little better than she would have guessed of him.

 

“Who do I have to thank for the lack of explosions during our run?” he asked.

 

“Kit,” she said easily, and inclined here head to where the being in question had just appeared, looking none the worse for the wear. Zonder followed in close behind with the ARC-troopers that had gone with him.

 

“I owe you,” Anakin began to say, then looked back to see all of his men disembarking from intact ships. “A lot.”

 

Kit smiled.

 

“A life saved is its own reward, my friend. Now, how shall we best proceed?” he asked, and Anakin knelt, opening a holoprojector that displayed the Ringo Vinda station’s interior map. Ahsoka gestured for her command staff to return, and they did so quickly, leaving various lieutenants in command.

 

“Since we have enough men and Jedi to spare, I want to concentrate on Trench. If we can take him down once and for all, or even better, bring him in, we’ll be able to deprive the Seppies of their best tactician,” Anakin began. Then he touched a point on the map, and it enlarged to show where they were. “Kit, if you take one flank and Ahsoka takes the other, I can go down the middle. We’d be dividing our forces, but we can work just as well in small units, while the droids need numbers to overwhelm us.”

 

“Direct,” Kit said, and Anakin looked at the older Jedi sharply, but then Kit smiled. “Direct, but perfect for this situation. I like it.”

 

“Masters, I don’t mean to intrude, but what am I to do?” Zonder asked respectfully. Ahsoka could see that the Padawan itched to be helpful, as she had always done. Anakin gestured for Kit to inform his Padawan of the role he would play.

 

“We discussed it and feel that you would be best suited to continuing to sabotage the station systems. In spite of your size, my Padawan, you move with nearly the skill of a Shadow,” Kit said easily, and it made Ahsoka happy to know that she had made such a good recommendation for Zonder. Zonder stood at his full height and nodded, the only indication he was pleased with the assignment was an excited twitch from his tail.

 

“As you say, Master,” Zonder said, and then paused thoughtfully. “I don’t suppose I can work with Fives again? I value his insight and skills very much.”

 

Ahsoka could almost hear Rex rolling his eyes at that. If Fives knew, the man would be impossible for days. Ahsoka shot Rex a sharp grin.

 

“Careful now, General, Fives is a handful as is,” Rex muttered into his helmet’s comms, on a channel he set up for them. She only trilled a little in response, but he knew what that sound meant by now: _Only having a laugh, Rex_.

 

Whatever he thought about that, he kept to himself.

 

“Sounds good to me,” Ahsoka said, considering Fives was _her_ ARC-troop commander.

 

“Good, then lets head out,” Anakin said, standing and his troopers followed him. In moments everything was organized, all the Jedi going their separate ways, but as Fives left with Zonder he looked back at his younger brother. Tup, who was like Echo in a lot of ways, and whom Fives had always felt more than a little protected about, seemed fine, he thought. Upright, without a hitch in his step. And Jesse was going with Ahsoka, he knew. Jesse would look after their little brother if anything happened.

 

Otherwise, what was the point of _being_ brothers, he wondered.

 

* * *

 

They were advancing on Trench, and Anakin could almost _feel_ having the admiral in his grasp. That damned spider would finally be out of action, and Anakin vowed that he would take the being alive. That after Obi-Wan had been there for him, Anakin would show his former master that his trust was not misplaced. That Anakin could be better, could control his anger, no matter how much he wanted Trench dead. No matter that he knew that Trench would likely finagle a deal and live well while innocents kept getting hurt.

 

It was not his place to judge, he reminded himself, and he hoped he could keep that in the front of his mind when he finally got the barve.

 

* * *

 

Kit led the charge up to the Command in Control center of the station, a combined force of 501st and 332nd soldiers at his back. As much as he did not care for playing the solider, he could see how well they functioned as a team. Rex was at his shoulder, the one commander he had worked with before, and Kit found him a man of unique depths.

 

He had also noticed a few things he probably was not meant to see, and decided that, all in all, he was hardly in any position to tar another’s reputation.

 

“Commander, I believe we are ready to make a final push for Trench. Do we have any good munitions experts with us?” Kit asked, keeping himself on task.

 

“Of course we do, sir. We are, genetically at least, Mandalorian,” Rex said, and Kit could swear he heard a smirk in that voice through the vocoder.

 

Kit laughed.

 

“Ah yes, I have yet to meet a Mandalorian who did not like explosions,” Kit allowed. “Well then, if you would organize a welcome barrage, Commander, I would be most grateful.”

 

“Only because you asked so nicely, General,” Rex said, and Kit laughed again, once more struck by how _individual_ clones could be. Skywalker had warned him that Rex was given to dry humor. Rex was already organizing the men, and Kit saw more than the requisite number of munitions being produced.

 

“When we get the signal, Commander,” Kit said, and the man did not ask what the signal would be. Considering Skywalker was in the field, they knew it would likely be the man himself charging in, blue saber drawn.

 

It was a fairly easy signal to understand.

 

* * *

 

Zonder slunk through the corridors, able to alter the profile of his body until the various sensors would have a hard time picking him up. He got to a control panel, shorted it out, and then led his small band of ARC-troopers into another vital system where they promptly destroyed it.

 

It was causing a useful amount of confusion among the battle droids, and hopefully crippling Trench’s ability to watch them. Security camera footage was next, he thought, if he remembered the layout of the station correctly. However, he thought that he should check the map just in case. Taking a knee, he drew up the map and studied it for a moment.

 

“Hm, it seems that security cameras are controlled from a separate area,” Zonder said, frowning. “We know Trench likes to monitor everything, and if we can put him in the dark, we’ll take this station even faster and with fewer casualties.”

 

“Give us a look, sir,” Fives said, kneeling next to him. Like this, they were nearly of a height, and Zonder handed over the holoprojector to the ARC. The other troopers maintained a perimeter while they pondered their next move. Zonder wanted to move on, but something had been bothering him since their practice session, and he didn’t know when he would get the chance like this again, so he chanced it.

 

“Fives, I know this isn’t a good time, but _is_ Tup okay?” he asked, and Fives went stock still.

 

“Sure he is, sir,” Fives said carefully, too carefully, and Zonder did not give in to his temptation to sigh or shake the man until he gave an actual answer. Peaceful solutions, understand what the other person wants, help them achieve it. Proper Jedi behavior, as his Master would say.

 

“I only want to help him, Fives,” Zonder said. “If we can Heal him, well, then he won’t have to go to a medical station or all the way back to Kamino.” Fives seemed to ignore this peace offering, and pointed decisively at a small access space that would get them through.

 

“There, sir, that’s our way into the security control room. Trench probably has things routed to his command center, but we can maybe try a little fancy computer work to hinder him,” Fives offered, standing up and handing the holoprojector back. Zonder took it, stowing it as he stood as well.

 

“Thank you, Fives,” Zonder said and was about to give the order to follow him and move out when Fives spoke again, soft and just for Zonder’s ears.

 

“I think it’s his head, Zonder,” Fives said, the worry plain in his voice. “Body they’ll fix, but the head? I gotta protect him.”

 

“We’ll all protect him, Fives,” Zonder promised, and hoped it was a promise he could keep. Fives appeared to accept it, however, and squared his shoulders.

 

“Lead on then, sir, and lets go take out this kriffing barve’s eyes!” Fives declared, which garnered an intense but quiet cheer from the men. Zonder made a mental note to speak to Master Kit, and perhaps through him to the Healers at the Temple. They could not continue to use these men like toy soldiers, as though they could be discarded. Because one day they would no longer be soldiers, they would all be judged by how they had treated the men who had been made to die.

 

* * *

 

Ahsoka saw Anakin charge, and knew that was as good as any signal she would ever get. She made ready to leap in front of the shields her men were using, allowing her a break from deflecting blaster bolts all the time. Her muscles tensed, and she started to draw on the Force when she felt it.

 

A cry, a warning, a clarion call that rang through the Force itself, only so clear to her because she had been drawing on it.

 

She turned, seeing Tup advancing toward her, blaster aimed where her back had been, and she deflected the bolt just in time. But he kept advancing, firing, and she saw the men near her torn between keeping up their shields and between wrestling down one of their captains. Already channeling the Force, she pushed Tup backwards, where Jesse promptly threw himself on his brother, wrestling his blaster out of his hands and holding him down.

 

“Hammer get him to Kix!” Ahsoka called out, and the sergeant moved with blazing speed. The man simply put Tup in a hold and started dragging the captain back to medical.

 

“Jesse, get the men in order. We’re making this charge _now_!” she ordered, and Jesse nodded, his eyes wild around the edges. But they had no time for this. She had no time to reassure her men that everything was alright. She had no time to deal with the gut wrenching horror of part of her vision coming true.

 

Mission first, she berated herself, and then _jumped_ , right into the fray, losing herself and her worries in the ebb and flow of the fight. Her men backed her up as they had been trained to do, as they had learned how to do. Jesse was at her side, barking out terse orders as they advanced up the ramp.

 

She saw Kit’s group make an opening in the side of the command center with a satisfying amount of explosions, which left her avenue of attack free. She pushed forward, and before long she, Anakin and Kit were staring down Admiral Trench, who was staring at his blank monitors.

 

Zonder had cut off his cameras, his virtual eyes, and they had cut away every last defense.

 

Ahsoka thought it would be more satisfying, getting Trench, taking the station. But it felt like their victory was turning into ash in the face of whatever was happening to Tup.

 

Tup, eyes full of hate, staring at her like she was filth.

 

Anakin must have sensed some of her imbalance, because he looked at her, blue eyes full of concern.

 

“Ahsoka?” he asked softly.

 

“Its already coming true. We’re too late,” she said, and did her best not to give into despair.

 

* * *

 

Kix was baffled, which made him pissed. Tup _seemed_ fine. They had moved him back to the med bay on the _Adamant_ , where Kix could make a better assessment now that only clean up was left. Other medics were tending to the injured. The dead were at least gathered and given a funeral of a sorts, their names noted and said, to be remembered forever though they had marched far away.

 

But now, Kix had the living to tend to.

 

“What the hell happened Kix!?” Fives yelled, charging into the medbay. Kix sighed. He should have known that Fives would find out, and would react poorly.

 

“He attacked General Tano, right at the end of the battle. Like he forgot what side he was on,” Kix explained, looking down at Tup. Tup, who seemed not all together there, muttering to himself. Kix had leaned down to hear what he was saying, and it sent a chill down his back: _good soldiers follow orders_ , on repeat.

 

“Tup? Tup _adores_ the general, Kix. I swear, he still has a crush on her. He’d go mental on anyone who hurt her,” Fives insisted. Kix took a breath, and put a hand on Fives’ shoulder.

 

“I don’t know what’s going on, but the generals will be here soon, and we’ll get to the bottom of this,” Kix promised, and Fives tensed. Kix wondered if Fives would lash out, but then he seemed to recall something and grinned, a manic almost hopeful grin.

 

“Zonder said maybe the Jedi could Heal Tup. Maybe they really can,” Fives said, and Kix hoped that Jedi Healing was as magical as it seemed to be, because at the moment, Tup needed nothing short of a miracle.

 

Then he heard the approach of the Jedi, along with the command staff, Rex, Jesse and Appo on their heels.

 

“Talk to me Kix,” Ahsoka said, and although that was technically an order, he could see the deep worry in her expressive eyes. His brothers had removed their helmets, and Kix wanted nothing more than to see some kind of hope in their eyes, but none was forthcoming. He drew a breath, getting ready to talk, and then Tup seemed to come back to himself a little.

 

Then he saw the Jedi.

 

“Traitors!” Tup yelled, throwing himself out of the biobed, hands extended as though ready to strangle the life out of Ahsoka, who was the closest. “Kill the Jedi! Traitors!” Rex wasted no time, slamming Tup back onto the bed, though not with full force, Kix noted with a kind of beleaguered approval. Fives and Jesse caught up quickly, and helped Kix put their brother in restraints.

 

“Maybe we should discuss this where we won’t upset him,” Zonder said, shoulders slumping.

 

“Kind thinking as ever, my Padawan,” General Fisto said, and Kix ushered the Jedi into his small office, where Admiral Kersos was still pouring over readouts and preliminary test results. The Corellian looked up, a grim shadow in his grey eyes.

 

“Masters, and Padawan,” he said, standing. “Medic Kix and I have run every test we can on this ship, and everything has been coming back completely inconclusive.”

 

“Shouldn’t you be commanding something?” Skywalker asked, and Kix did not want to get into the middle of another fight. But then Kersos huffed and nodded at the question.

 

“I asked Yularen to cover the operation, which he is more than qualified to do. I am, however, a fully qualified surgeon. My expertise was more helpful here, I believe, General Skywalker,” Kersos said, dropping the last sentence like a ton of duracrete. Skywalker grimaced, at his own brashness for once.

 

“My apologies, Admiral,” Skywalker said.

 

“Glad you boys have stopped marking your territory,” Ahsoka said darkly, “But I only want to know what we can do for Tup.”

 

Had his general thrown down that line at any other time, Kix would have lost it completely. Fives wouldn’t have been able to contain himself, and even Rex probably would have laughed. But this, this was deadly serious, and there was a conspicuous lack of humor in his General’s voice.

 

Kix looked to Kersos, the man who had been helping him become a better medic, even to the point of talking about going to medical school after the war. And Kersos gave one, final jerk of his head to the side. Kix forced himself to stay calm, but he had to say it.

 

“Tup has to go to Kamino. It might be this Seppie clone-targeting virus we’ve been hearing rumors about, but that doesn’t quite make sense because no one else has the same… symptoms, I suppose. And we are engineered to handle a high degree of stress, and this was no Umbara,” he said, and he felt his brothers wince at that. But it was true, and it gave the Jedi a frame of reference.

 

“I’ll take him there myself,” Ahsoka declared, talking over the two older, more senior Jedi. “He’s my trooper, so he’s my responsibility.” She gave them both a level look, and they nodded, acquiescing to her claim of authority.

 

Kix was so thankful he could barely contain himself. If Tup did calm down, it would give him a great deal of comfort to have his General there.

 

“Rex and I go,” she said. “If Master Kit and Zonder will take the _Adamant_ back to Coruscant and see that the 332 nd gets full medical clearance. Feel free to take your time about it.” General Fisto grinned at the suggestion, not his happy-go-lucky grin, but the one that meant that he would be a delightful roadblock to anyone who tried to commandeer the 332nd before their general got back.

 

“But Zonder said the Jedi could Heal Tup!” Fives demanded, but Rex put a hand on their brother’s shoulder, talking softly so that even Kix couldn’t hear.

 

“Fives,” Kersos said softly, coming around the desk to face the man. “Fives, the best case scenario is that the Jedi could Heal him, and even then we would likely lose whatever this is, leaving your brothers vulnerable. Worst case, they can’t and we wasted him taking him all the way to Coruscant when he needed to be at Kamino. However, even if it is the best case, Jedi Healing is only a faster method to heal what standard healing can do. Its good when no medical options are available, but it’s not magic.”

 

“You’ve made a study of our Healing,” General Fisto said, a respectfully surprised note in his voice.

 

“It was a fascination of mine, when I had the time to indulge them,” Kersos said, addressing the General, and then turned back to Fives. “But Kamino really is Tup’s best chance. And the best chance we have to help all of you quickly if this is a disease or a systemic issue.”

 

Fives looked from face to face, his eyes bright and angry.

 

“I am sorry, Fives,” Zonder said at last, bowing his head and slumping his shoulders. Even his tail drooped, and something about it made Kix want to tell Zonder it wasn’t his fault. “I made a promise when I did not know if I could keep it. I did not mean to do this to you. You are a good man and deserved more than my vain hopes.”

 

And just like that, Fives was no longer angry. He strode forward and clapped the Selonian on the shoulder.

 

“You said what you believed at the time, Zonder,” Fives said. “And thank you for thinking that a clone would be worth Healing.” Then Fives drew himself up. “General, I’d like to accompany you. I’ve spent a lot of time with Tup, and I might be infected too. Failing that, they’ll need a control subject, and we can’t deprive the 332nd of our Commander.”

 

“Then make ready, Fives, Rex. We leave as soon as possible. Kit, thank you for looking after my men for me,” Ahsoka said. “Kersos, Kix, thank you for all you’ve done already for Tup.”

 

“Of course, they are deserving of much care,” General Fisto said.

 

“He’s one of my men too, isn’t he?” Kersos asked pointedly.

 

“He’s my brother,” Kix said honestly.

 

Ahsoka nodded, and gave one last look to her former Master. Skywalker nodded back.

 

“See you two in the bay in twenty minutes,” she said, and left. She gave Tup one backwards glance, and Kix wondered if anyone else saw what was in her eyes. Not just worry for Tup, but a deep and wild fear, one that shook Kix to his bones.

 

Whatever was going on, the Jedi knew more than they were letting on.

 

And Kix was, for once, content to not know.

 

* * *

 

Anakin followed Ahsoka as she strode to her quarters, but they were both startled when Kit was already outside of her door, casually leaning against the bulkhead.

 

“There is much to talk about, yes?” he asked, tilting his head inquisitively. She and Anakin traded a quick glance, and they nodded. Kit had helped to sway the Council in her favor, and he consistently treated the troopers well, even if he typically maintained his distance. And he clearly knew that something was going on.

 

“Alright, but we have to be quick,” she said, and then they were three Jedi in a room that suddenly felt too small, confined and close. She launched into an explanation of her vision, Kit frowning deeply as she said she hadn’t foreseen Tup, exactly, but she knew, knew with all the certainty of a Force vision that this was the start.

 

“Ahsoka,” Anakin said softly, reaching for her. His hand felt comforting on her shoulder. She wanted to lean into it, but those days were over now, but she let herself lean, for just a moment. It seemed to help him, to be leaned on, as much as it helped her to lean. “Ahsoka, I…”

 

“ _We_ ,” Kit clarified, and Ahsoka felt her heart leap a little. “We will ensure that the Council knows of this, and that it will not be ignored.”

 

“Maybe we’ll finally get to the bottom of this mystery,” Anakin said darkly. “I know Obi-Wan is still upset that he couldn’t figure it out fully, before the war.”

 

“And perhaps Shaak has an update for you, once you get to the Kamino,” Kit offered, and Ahsoka felt a tentative grin form on her face and a hope in her heart.

 

“Thank you, Masters,” she said, bowing, but Anakin’s hand on her shoulder held her from bowing fully.

 

“We need to be here for each other, Ahsoka,” Anakin said seriously, “and for our men.” Ahsoka wondered what had happened to Anakin, to make him able to set aside his anger, as he had been doing this whole mission. She wasn’t upset about it in the slightest, but she wasn’t sure if she should be worried or not. Regardless, for now, he seemed to be more stable than he had been in some months. She would take it, and take his support as well.

 

“I agree. It is time that we stopped taking these men for granted,” Kit said, his accent gaining a sharp edge as he spoke. “I shall have Zonder set up a secure comm channel, so that we may speak freely. If I recall Shaak’s complaints correctly, she is monitored heavily while in Tipoca City.”

 

“I’ll be careful,” she assured them both, and perhaps trying to reassure herself.

 

* * *

 

Rex helped load Tup into the small shuttle, a newer version of the _Twilight_. Kix had last minute instructions, but their brother did seem better. He could look at Ahsoka without trying to harm her. He even seemed to have some awareness that something was wrong with him. Neither Rex nor Fives had the heart to tell him what he had almost done.

 

“General,” Tup said softly, reaching out for the woman who had been there for all of his service, who had helped him come to terms with Umbara and Dogma’s incarceration. She was there in a moment, holding his hand and clasping the other on his shoulder.

 

“I’m here, Tup,” she said, putting a brightness into her voice that Rex knew she didn’t feel. “Don’t worry. We’re going to make sure they treat you right and get to the bottom of this. You’ll be back with your brothers before you know it.”

 

“Good. Doesn’t feel right, leaving like this,” Tup said. Ahsoka almost floundered then, and although she didn’t need saving, Rex stepped in.

 

“I know, _vod_ , but if you are sick, you can help a lot of brothers keep from being sick. Think of it that way,” Rex said, and it seemed to help Tup settle down. Then they stowed his biobed against the bulkhead, clipping it into place. Fives was already set up to watch over their brother, and Rex followed Ahsoka up to the cockpit, giving Fives a short nod of acknowledgement on the way.

 

His General sat down at the controls, going through the motions of powering up, and he took the co-pilot’s seat. He was competent enough, Fenn Rau had made certain of that, and he would be enough backup for this kind of run. In silence, they powered up, flew out of the _Adamant’s_ hangar bay, and shot off into hyperspace. As the blue-shifted stars streaked around them, Rex watched her watch the stars for a time. Then, able to feel the weight of his attention, she turned to him, the weight of a terrible knowing in her eyes.

 

“That thing, the thing that was distracting me, it was a vision,” she said, voice tight and thin. “I saw… I saw the _vod’e_ hurting Jedi, hunting me specifically. I saw some kind of… I don’t know what exactly I saw. Maybe you got an order, or a device dispersed a virus like Anakin and Kersos think.” She drew a breath, and her expression became one of a deep kind of sorrow.

 

“I didn’t see Tup attacking me. I don’t know why the Force didn’t show me that. Instead, what it showed me. Rex,” she said, then another breath to steady herself. “Rex I saw _you_ about to kill me. Staring at me down the barrels of your blasters, and it was like you didn’t even see me.”

 

Rex felt like the galaxy had dropped out from underneath him, and a kind of high-pitched sound seemed to blot out his hearing. Some calm, rational part of his mind knew what this was: a panic reaction. Just the _thought_ of… that…

 

“Rex,” she said, reaching and touching him lightly on the hand. “Rex, come back to me.”

 

And like every command she issued, he followed it.

 

“General. No, Ahsoka, you know I would _never_ ,” he began to say, voice horse and constricted.

 

“I know,” she said, squeezing his hand tightly. Without reservation, he squeezed back. “And this was my call, telling you. Anakin left it to me, because if at least you know, then maybe we can do something about it. Take steps.”

 

“But the rest of the men can’t know that this is part of a Force vision,” he said for her, understanding the situation doing nothing for the sinking feeling in his stomach. “We can’t risk this disrupting morale or getting out to the enemy.”

 

“No, no we can’t,” she said softly.

 

“What does this mean for Tup?” he asked.

 

“That I’ll do whatever I can do make sure he’s better and that we prevent this vision from happening. Maybe this is our chance, and that’s why the Force didn’t show me Tup attacking me, because that needed to happen in order to prevent something much, much worse,” she said, then shook her head. “Or not. Its better not to try to figure out what the Force actually wants.”

 

Rex grunted darkly.

 

“If a Jedi is saying that, well, not much of a hope of me figuring it out,” he said, and he noticed that they hadn’t let go of each other’s hands. It was as close as they would come to clinging to each other in the storm, neither of them much for clinging as such. But that touch, that reassurance, he knew he needed it. To know she was alive and whole and that he hadn’t done the unthinkable.

 

He was grateful she was giving him that much.

 

A grim smile stole across her face, the humor not necessarily appropriate, but it was that or go mad. And, thinking of Tup, Rex would rather stay horrifyingly sane, for whatever that was worth.

 

“So. To Kamnio we go. They’re going to try to keep us away from him,” Rex told her, and she nodded.

 

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” she agreed, and then turned away, watching the streaking stars once more. “It just… it feels so dark, like there’s just enough light to see how dark it is, but not enough to find the way.”

 

“Then, we try to make some light to see by,” Rex said, because that was the only reasonable response to not being able to figure something out. She looked at him then, really looked at him with that inscrutable Jedi look she used only very rarely.

 

“Yes, yes that is _exactly_ what we’re going to do,” she said, a determined glint in her eye. And Rex wondered if he just gave her a very bad or very good idea. Either way, he would be at her shoulder, where he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry about not quite hitting the one update per week goal. Real life stuff, and well, this chapter just would not end! (Because who cares about even chapters.... right?) And while I know how this fic in the series ends (and I know how the series ends now!), its making sure all the characters behave and get to the right points on time that's giving me some trouble. ... And maintaining similar tone while taking a long time to write. =/
> 
> Thank you for your patience. <3


	5. Wailing Grief

They arrived on Kamino, Ahsoka dead set on seeing this through, and she gained heart when she saw Shaak Ti herself coming to greet them. She bowed her head slightly to the older woman, and her hunt-mother inclined her head in return. Rex and Fives flanked the biobed that Tup was on, resting for now. It did her heart good to see the man relaxed, so different from the desperate confusion or the mindless anger of before.

 

“Master Ti,” Ahsoka said softly, taking in the fact that she had a young trooper standing beside her, one that had to be only nine standard years old. Between the unknown trooper and Kit’s warning about the lack of privacy on Kamino, Ahsoka curtailed her inclination to tell Shaak Ti all she knew at the moment.

 

“Knight-Errant Tano, I wish you came to Kamino under better circumstances, but perhaps we can find some to see to your training?” the Jedi Master said, and under, or rather over, the words was something else. A trill and a string of syllables that were too high for almost every other sentient being in the galaxy to hear. An old hunt-call: _akul in the grass, watch your steps_.

 

Not something Ahsoka didn’t already know, but it was good to know that Shaak Ti wanted to talk freely and likely not just about Jedi matters.

 

“I look forward to it, Master Ti. I trust my man will be well…” she started to say and then her standard comm channel chimed. She frowned, and she caught the gazes of Rex and Fives out of the corners of her eyes. They looked unconcerned, or would to anyone who didn’t know them. Their eyes were sharp, tight around the edges, and focused on her.

 

“This is Tano,” she said, raising the comm to her mouth.

 

“Ahsoka, this is Kit. There is a new statute, if you are too long gone from your battalion, it will be reassigned. They are trying to deploy the 332nd without you,” came Kit’s voice from across the deep distance of space. Ahsoka flicked her gaze to Shaak Ti then to Fives.

 

Fives frowned briefly, but nodded.

 

“I’ll look after him, General. My brothers need you looking over them. General Ti can look after me and Tup. She has done before,” he said, a ghost of a grin flickering across his features.

 

“Indeed I have, ARC-trooper Fives,” the elder huntress said, her sharp teeth showing ever so slightly. “Go, care for those who need you most, Knight-Errant, and know that your drive to look after all your men does you credit. We shall save your lessons for another time.”

 

Heart in the bottom of her stomach, Ahsoka stood over Tup, not wanting to wake him, and a shiver worked its way down her spine.

 

“Look after him, _vod_ ,” Rex said softly to Fives, as they clasped hands in the Mando’a tradition.

 

“Of course, _vod_ ,” Fives returned, dropping the ‘sir’ because Rex had already asked as a brother, not a commander. Ahsoka knew what that meant, but they had to take their leave quickly. With little more than that, she and Rex were back on the small ship that had brought them here. She watched as the planet shrank below them, as Rex put in the coordinates to get back to Coruscant and take charge of the rest of the 332nd.

 

“Seems like we shouldn’t be leaving,” she said softly.

 

“Tup would rather you help the men than him,” Rex said.

 

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” she told him, and she felt the understanding roll off of him. “But we help who can when we can, right?”

 

“You’re not wrong,” Rex said, voice low. “But,” he paused, drawing a breath. “We can trust General Ti. She… she told me what happened, when you were hurt and Skywalker damn near killed himself for you. She didn’t have to, but she did.”

 

Ahsoka nodded and sat straight in the co-pilot’s chair.

 

“Then let’s take care of our boys,” she said, and they plunged back into hyperspace.

 

* * *

 

Things were not going well for ARC-trooper Fives.

 

He had thought, that General Ti being, well, who she was, things would be better. But they weren’t.

 

Tup was hurting, calling out to him, and it broke Fives’ heart. It made him think of things he’d rather forget. Of the Citadel, when Echo was lost to him. Of Umbara, when he lost Hardcase. When Tup lost Dogma, and felt alone, Fives was there for his _vod’ika_.

 

Watching Tup hurt, watching him grapple with a horror only he could see, Fives decided something.

 

But he would need some help to do it.

 

* * *

 

Hook was worried.

 

He had spent years at General Ti’s side, the side of the woman he loved as a parent, or how he thought children might love their parents. Being a clone, he didn’t know exactly, but in his heart she was _buir_. And in that time he had learned much. How to withhold information, how to think sideways, and how to, maybe, just maybe, get around his programming.

 

But even then, listening to Fives as his older brother talked about hijacking a med-droid and saving Tup before he could be destroyed. Hook wondered if all his combat brothers were this suicidal or if it was just ARC-troopers.

 

“You’re mad, and you’re going to get yourself killed!” Hook hissed. “Worse, you’re going to make trouble for General Ti.”

 

Fives shook his head.

 

“She can handle trouble, _vod_. I’m not sure how much more of this Tup can take,” Fives insisted. Hook clenched his jaw, knowing his elder brother was right.

 

“Fine. I’ll get the droid. You get Tup,” Hook said, and wondered if there was any god or goddess out there that would listen to the prayers of a clone.

 

* * *

 

Tup was scared.

 

He knew he was on Kamino, but it was all disjointed. He had vague memories of trying to hurt the General, but that couldn’t be right.

 

That was only a nightmare. The bad dream that had been in his head for a while. The usual.

 

He was sick.

 

He was cold.

 

And the nightmare kept playing in his mind, and his brain _hurt_.

 

But he knew Fives was here.

 

Fives would take care of him.

 

Fives had looked after him, since he came back alone from the Citadel. Since Tup was left without a batch brother after Umbara.

 

But it _hurt_.

 

Tup wondered if it would ever stop hurting.

 

Then Fives was there.

 

“ _Vod_ ,” he said weakly, wanting to touch his brother, to have that reassurance of contact, to clasp hands as troopers did.

 

“It’ll be alright, _vod’ika_ ,” Fives said, “we’ll fix you up, and it’ll be okay.”

 

Tup wasn’t sure if Fives was saying that for himself or for Tup, but he said it. So Tup decided to believe him.

 

* * *

 

Shaak Ti’s heart broke at the scene before her. ARC-trooper Fives, one of the ones she considered special, hunched over his brother. Tup, the trooper that been ill, was now dead on the table. The med droid, AZ-3, was also clearly upset. Hook stood at her side, having dragged her from her quarters to get to the scene first, before any Kaminoan could.

 

They had only moments to act, moments to help Fives if he was to avoid Tup’s fate, and she could not waste a second of it on sentiment right now.

 

“ARC-trooper Fives,” she said sharply, in a voice that bypassed a trooper’s ears and lodged straight into his brain-stem. The man stiffed, but did not unbend from over his brother’s body. He did turn his head to her, however, brown eyes hard.

 

“I grieve with you, _ad_ ,” she said, voice softening, and in using that word, she saw Fives’ eyes go from stone to water in a moment. “But now is not the time. We must uncover what happened here.”

 

She held out her hand.

 

Reluctantly, carefully, Fives held out a small lump of… something. It rang oddly to her Force senses, something inert yet corrupted. This, she knew, was a profound act of trust, but she had claimed him as a child, and she would not go back on that now. In memory of the man that died, and in hope for all her sons still living.

 

Tucking the item away in her robes, she breathed easy as not moments later Nala Se walked into the room.

 

“What is going on here?” the Kaminoan asked mildly, but Shaak could sense the tall being’s sharp and deadly interest.

 

“It seems that ARC-trooper Fives was extremely agitated at Trooper Tup’s distress. He entered, but not in time to save Tup,” Shaak said sadly, outlining what was, to some degree, the truth. She thought it fitting, since the Kaminoans had never been honest from the start.

 

Nala Se leveled a long look at her, but Shaak held her gaze.

 

“As you say, Master Ti,” Nala Se said, “but I believe we need to maintain the quarantine on ARC-trooper 5555 to determine whether or not what happened to CT-5385 was contagious.”

 

Shaak gave Se a doubtful look, but let it pass.

 

“As you say, we shall take proper precautious, of course,” Shaak said, then took a step to the side. “Hook, with me, if you would.”

 

“Yes, General,” the young trooper said, and followed at her heels. She had precious few options, she knew. She was outnumbered to a ridiculous degree, and heavily monitored. There were some men she could trust, some men who had begun to question their programming and their orders, but she could not risk so much on so little.

 

With one last look at Fives as they led him away, she tried to catch his eye, to express her sorrow for all that had transpired.

 

She failed.

 

* * *

 

Barriss Offee sat in her quarters, meditating. Master Sinube had helped her find her way into the Archives, into the places where not even most Masters could tread. To help her. To find a way to give her a place to stand in a galaxy that had gone sideways.

 

She was not sure what she had found.

 

He had said to find what called out to her, but to be wary. What was like her was not always kind.

 

As if she didn’t understand the depths of her own unkindness, she who had once been a healer. In some ways, it was as though a callous had developed over her heart. All the hurt and pain she had experienced through others, through their wounds, in body and soul spilling onto her. It had made the giving of herself more and more difficult.

 

And in the Archives, she and found something hidden. Or, perhaps she had found what had been there waiting for her all along.

 

 _There must always be a betrayer_ , the voice had said. _Always one to spark conflict, to make others stronger. To do what must be done, when others are too lacking in the will._

 

She felt the rightness of the words when she had first heard them. They had settled in her soul, wreathed in darkness, but a darkness that was not necessarily selfish and cruel. The darkness she had long been warned about and saw the Republic descending into.

 

Because she could feel the darkness settling in around them all, snaking around them like a coiling snake. Perhaps there was a reason she had been made to suffer, been driven to the edge of madness, because while others might stand in the light, there had to be one that stood in shadow. If only to fight the dark in ways the light could not.

 

* * *

 

Fives ran through the facility, through the rows upon rows of fetuses, brothers yet to be decanted, a horror sinking in his gut. They were all chipped. Every last one.

 

Like he had been.

 

AZ-3 had taken the chip out, had helped him risk his life to get better information, but exactly what it did, Fives had no idea. Just that it was a thing not even Kix knew about that could backfire and make a trooper lose his mind.

 

That could kill a trooper.

 

“ARC-5555! You will stand down!” one of his brothers ordered, but he couldn’t. It was too much, it was all too mad.   He turned to see Nala Se, Shaak Ti and several of his brothers there, blocking his exit. His escape. His one way to get back to the General and Commander and maybe find a way to understand this.

 

“You don’t understand, you’ve got to believe me, General,” he said, desperately addressing General Ti. She was his one hope of living through this. “We have chips in our heads! That’s what killed Tup! It malfunctioned.”

 

“Chips?” she said sharply, turning on Nala Se. The longneck seemed unperturbed.

 

“Chips to regulate aggression. As you can see, once removed, a clone becomes unpredictable,” Se said, with a note of disapproval, as though it was a shame to see a well-crafted machine break down.

 

“Be that as it may, this chip requires fuller investigation,” Shaak said, voice serene. However, by how her boy was standing, between her and everyone else, she was in danger as well. She was taking a risk for him, Fives saw, and Hook’s quick nod was all the confirmation Fives needed.

 

“I’ll release myself into the General’s custody,” Fives said, and then Hook strode forward, disarming him before anyone else good. Hook, at least, was kind about it.

 

“I will take ARC-5555 to Coruscant for further study. At the Jedi Temple,” Shaak said, durasteel in her voice. There was a brief stand off, but Nala Se broke, looking away.

 

“They are the property of the Republic, and under the auspices of the Jedi. Of course, you have the right to do with them as you will,” Se said, a cruel twist to her words. Fives could see General Ti’s mouth tighten at that, at the bald statement of the Jedi’s role in what he and his brothers were.

 

“Thank you, General,” he said, mentally adding _buir_ to it, and her eyes softened ever so slightly, in that way they had done when he had been a cadet.

 

“I made a promise, trooper,” she said, and Fives got the impression that there was more than one promise involved.

 

* * *

 

Ahsoka received a notice on her datapadd, a little light blinking steadily. She had just gotten back to the planet, keeping her men from being moved out from under her nose. Kit had managed to forestall the GAR from reassigning them right away, though he had been prepared to take them on had she not made it back in time.

 

“I don’t know why General Fisto doesn’t have a battalion. He could do well,” Rex said, going over his roster as they delayed deployment orders to wait for word on Tup.

 

“He doesn’t want to be more of a soldier than he already has become,” she said, feeling a kind of dread as the light continued to blink. Rex raised a dark brow at her statement.

 

She shrugged.

 

“He wants to be a peacekeeper, not an enforcer,” she elaborated. Rex tilted his head to the side, considering that.

 

“Not sure how its much different, when you’ve always got a lightsaber on you,” he said, then he pointed at the datapadd. “You going to read that or just let it wink at you all night?”

 

She sighed and picked up the padd, opening the message. And her heart stopped. Carefully, she set the padd back down. Rex looked up at her, as though he were able to sense her sorrow.

 

“Tup’s dead,” she said, voice stricken. “Tup’s dead, and Fives being brought back for further examination.”

 

Rex closed his eyes, and said the words, the words of remembrance under his breath, with a new name in his litany now. The name of a brother he had loved and cared for, had helped to get to captain in spite of not going through command training.

 

Ahsoka could feel Rex’s rage, his horror, and his sorrow. She knew it echoed her own grief. But then Rex got himself under control.

 

“Then we make sure Fives is alright, and bring him home,” Rex said.

 

“Damn right we will,” she agreed with all the ferocity of a huntress born.

 

* * *

 

Fives felt the world turn upside down.

 

General Ti had brought him to Coruscant, but not the Jedi Temple. Hook was at her side. He had heard them talking on the ship, about how she refused to leave him behind anymore, for fear of his safety alone among the longnecks.

 

Fives couldn’t blame her.

 

But he couldn’t help a small niggling feeling of betrayal worming through his guts.

 

It wasn’t her fault.

 

But maybe, more questions could have been asked sooner.

 

Then Fives was granted a private audience with the Chancellor, and he learned impossible things. Horrible truths.

 

Fives was told everything, with a smug tone. The Chancellor had ordered the creation of his brothers. Had every last one implanted with a chip to control them when the time came. Had aimed the _vod’e_ like a weapon at the heart of the Republic, at the backs of the Jedi.

 

The old barve never got to the why, because Fives felt the vile truth of it worming into his mind, and he knew he wasn’t going to be leaving this room alive.

 

But if he died here, Tup’s death would mean _nothing_.

 

All of the dead would mean nothing.

 

A quick headbutt, a twist in his restraints, and Fives was free. He punched the Chancellor for good measure, and ran.

 

He ran past Shaak Ti, a woman who had claimed him as a son. He ran past Hook, a brother too young for the field, and the security forces, brothers who had never seen the field at all.

 

He ran. Ran out into the Coruscant evening, with no money, no proof, and the only a vague hope that he could find a way back to his General, or make his way to the Jedi Temple. If they could protect him, if they would.

 

Or, worse, fearing he had just damned himself by not being able to control his reaction. But there had only been one way, one possible chance for Tup to have justice. And it had not been by staying in that room.

 

Fives thought, then, as he ran, about justice, about if a clone could ever know it. About history and destiny, because it was clear to him now that this had been a long time coming. No one orders an army ten years ahead of time unless they had some very well crafted plans. No matter what he could change now, no matter how he could move the pieces on the board, Fives didn’t see a way out of tragedy, of loss and suffering, because no matter what changes he could provoke, they would be too small to alter the crushing momentum of history.

 

Fives thought of Tup and Echo and Dogma and Waxer and Heavy and Cutup and Droidbait and Ninety-Nine and all his brothers, the ones who hadn’t made it out of training, or past the first day, or even the ones that were still alive. They would all be ground to dust on the wheels of another’s dark ambitions.

 

And Fives wondered if this was what going mad actually felt like. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the delay. Things are on track, and I hope to finish the last chapter tomorrow. Yikes. Also, if this feels choppy, well, its because this follows the episodes "Conspiracy" and "Fugitive" rather closely and I'd rather not rehash every last bit of it. Also as Fives notes: you can't change everything, no matter how hard you try.
> 
> Also because no one got a chance to actually talk to each other. So that's a problem.
> 
> One more chapter! Fives is on the run, but Ahsoka's around, and Barriss.... might take a hand in things. Oh dear.
> 
> Hope new years went well for everyone!


	6. Screams in the Dark

Ahsoka was spitting mad. It was unbecoming to her status as a Knight-Errant of the Jedi Order, it was not productive as a General in the Grand Army of the Republic, but what other response was there when, after learning of Tup’s death, she had been told Fives had all but operated on himself, removed an aggression control chip, and then attacked the Chancellor. She paced the small office she was allowed in the barracks, Rex watching her warily. He was keeping a tight reign on his emotions, she knew, but even with his control his anger was still palpable.

 

Had she not been a Jedi, not been able to sense such things through the Force, nothing on his face would have given him away. Rex, her stalwart commander, was as impassive as ever.

 

Though, to anyone who knew him, that impassive face was a sure sign that he was less than pleased.

 

“Any new reports? Any way you think we could work around Fox?” she asked, and Rex looked back to his padd.

 

“No, and after what we pulled on him last time…” Rex trailed off, giving Ahsoka a relatively unwelcome reminder of her own time on the run. This was all a little too close to comfort for her, and she would be damned if she let Fives suffer what she did.

 

“Any word from General Ti?” he asked.

 

She shook her head.

 

“The Council is meeting, and I’m not invited, even though he’s one of mine,” she said, the last through clenched teeth. She started to think about how she could get to Fives before anyone else, the way Anakin had gotten to her.

 

Then Kix popped his head in the door. She turned to look at her medic, took in his wild-eyed expression and felt hope leap in her chest, and Rex went completely still in the way that meant he was giving Kix his full attention.

 

“General, you aren’t going to believe this,” Kix said. “But someone found me at 79’s and would very much like to see you.” Ahsoka smiled like a huntress.

 

“And that’s why _he’s_ the ARC-trooper, eh?” she asked, brow arching.

 

“One of the reasons why,” Rex said dryly, and they were on their way to the rendezvous point. It only took them a few minutes to get there, but when they did, Ahsoka had another bad feeling. It was another warehouse, and she wondered if there was something about warehouses that made them the go-to choice for fugitives and clandestine meetings.

 

They stalked through the dimly lit warehouse, weaving through the crates and stacks of goods.

 

“Fives,” she called out softly. “Fives, we got your message.”

 

“Can’t trust anyone, don’t know how deep it goes,” came Fives’ voice. She looked sideways at Rex, starting to wonder if Fives really had lost his mind, had succumbed to some virus or paranoia or a combination of the two. Rex merely raised an eyebrow and inclined his head to her, as if to say, _let’s see what he says_.

 

“You have to put down your weapons,” Fives told them, and Ahsoka stopped, her hands instinctively going to her saber hilts. Rex had his blasters out, yes, but that was Rex. She hadn’t drawn her blades at all.

 

“We won’t hurt you Fives, just come out and talk to us,” she urged, “Rex is putting away his blasters.” She eyed Rex, and he reluctantly holstered his DC-17s.

 

“Fives,” Rex said softly, “we’re going to listen to you, _vod’ika_ , but you gotta start making sense.”

 

Then ray shields dropped on them.

 

“Damn it Fives!” they said together, in an almost reflexive response. Then Fives stepped into the light, his head shaved and a scar on the right side of his head. His dark brown eyes were wide and full of fear, so unlike the confident, bright man she had known for years.

 

“Its in our heads, General. Chips. Tup’s malfunctioned. Made him go crazy, attack you. Killed him instead. Longnecks said it was to control our aggression, but I don’t think so. Chancellor. It all goes back to him, using us. We’re a weapon, but not how we thought,” he rambled, speaking quicker as he went and his eyes trying to look everywhere, like he was expecting trouble any second.

 

“The Chancellor?” Ahsoka asked, incredulous. She wasn’t overly fond of him, not really trusting his ‘kindly grandfather’ persona, but Anakin liked him, so he couldn’t be _all_ bad, she had always thought. Clearly, that had been a misplaced trust.

 

“Yes, him. He’s behind it. Not sure if he’s the root or the branch, but he’s part of it,” Fives insisted.

 

“Fives you need you let us out right now, and we need to…” she began to say, but then the clatter of armor stopped her.

 

“ARC-5555, you are hereby ordered to stand down!” Commander Fox yelled, his blaster leveled at Fives, his men behind him. Ahsoka felt like crawling out of her skin, because she could feel the tension all around her.

 

“Fives, think about this, _vod_ ,” Rex said, voice tight. “Don’t…”

 

“You will stand down!” Fox yelled, and Fives looked ready to run, ready to get shot in the back, Ahsoka thought. She was thinking furiously. She was behind ray shields, but she could maybe freeze Fox or one or two of the others in place. She had certain strengths in the Force, but her ability to effect large groups of people was not one of them.

 

“Trooper…” Fox drawled, his finger tightening on the trigger.

 

Then every last security trooper slumped to the ground, as though they were boneless. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, feeling a semi-familiar presence.

 

And then Barriss Offee stepped out of the shadows.

 

“So that would explain the darkness I felt,” Ahsoka said sharply. Barriss watched her evenly, and then turned her gaze to Fives. Fives held it, but broke quickly.

 

“Are you here to take me in, too? For a reward?” Fives asked. “Well tough luck!” Then he turned off the ray shield, and Ahsoka drew her sabers, jumping between Fives and Barriss. Rex drew his blasters and covered Barriss from another angle.

 

“What are you doing here, Barriss? How the hell did you get out of the Temple?” Ahsoka asked.

 

“I don’t think we have time for this here,” Barriss said calmly, and Ahsoka thought her former friend was a little too calm. Almost a crazy kind of calm.

 

“Got time enough to make sure you’re not here to hurt one of my battalion, girl,” Rex growled.

 

“Do you want _justice_?” she asked, her voice full of knives of the last word. Her blue eyes were full of a dark kind of fire, and Ahsoka could feel the darkness around her once time friend. The cold burning darkness that would consume what it touched, if one was not careful. But controlled. Somehow.

 

“Justice for the slaves we make fight this war? Justice for those dying on the fringes? Justice for _us_?” Barriss hissed. “I cannot heal anymore, that art is lost to me. But I can still make matters right.”

 

Ahsoka could sense that Barriss, at least, believed what she was saying. Believed that she was trying to do the right thing, in her own twisted way. Certainly the woman was better, in a sense. She no longer raved about a coming darkness. Instead, she seemed to have embraced it and decided to turn it on those who brought it down on their heads in the first place.

 

This went against every instinct she had, every bit of training the Jedi had instilled in her. The importance of living and working in the light, of not resorting to convenient and prudential methods.

 

But then something else inside her seemed to sing a strange song, as if on the edge of her hearing. Seemed to indicate that the dark and the light were not, in and of themselves, necessarily opposed. It was imbalance that was the problem. For balance to be achieved, the dark and the light had to work together, to be part of a whole.

 

“Fine,” Ahsoka said sharply. Rex tensed, but she put a forestalling hand on his chest. “Take Fives and run. Hide. Get to ground. Send word when you’re safe and we can go from there.”

 

“I’ll need to do the same to you, as I did to them,” Barriss said. “If you are to be free of suspicion. Free to move and aid your man.”

 

“Hey! Don’t I get a say?” Fives put in. Ahsoka shot him a sharp look.

 

“This is how you live, Fives. This is how we figure this all out, so no, not really. Consider it an order, if that’ll help,” she said, and Fives seemed to almost calm down at the order. Then she turned to regard Barriss.

 

“If he dies, I’m holding you responsible. Do you understand me?” she asked. Barriss bowed her head.

 

“Perfectly,” the other woman said, and then raised her hand, and that was the last Ahsoka could remember until Fox was not so gently shaking her awake. It didn’t take long to convince Fox they had been duped as well. Ahsoka spun a story about a Seppie ambush, taking Fives because he had sold them out. She hated doing that to Fives’ reputation, but it was all she could think of. And it fit.

 

It had happened before, and Rex had been there for it. He helped sell the lie, as much as she saw it cut him to the core.

 

So much of this was completely mad, and Ahsoka was starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, she might need backup on this one.

 

* * *

 

“Master Ti!” Ahsoka called out, running through the Temple, not caring about the stares she gathered as she went. Rex was at her heels, and that also earned her a few hard glares, for bringing a trooper, no matter how well respected, onto Temple grounds and running around like a madwoman.

 

But as Shaak Ti turned, Ahsoka saw the look of audacious hope in the elder woman’s eyes. As well as the young trooper at her side from Kamino.

 

“Ahsoka, what is…” Shaak began to say, but then Ahsoka skidded to a halt in front of her.

 

“Not here,” Ahsoka said breathlessly, and Shaak Ti nodded, following the younger woman’s lead. Soon, they were in a private meditation room. Rex pointedly looked at the other trooper.

 

“Hook has been my aide on Kamino since I arrived. He has my complete trust,” Shaak said, her voice serene, but her eyes alight with curiosity. Rex jerked his head at the younger trooper, and he took up position at the door, opposite Rex. Ahsoka felt the corner of her mouth twitch, in spite of the crushing tension around them all.

 

“Satisfied, Rexter?” she asked, unable to help herself.

 

“He’ll do,” Rex replied, voice as dry as the Geonosian desert.

 

“Now that we have that settled, gentlemen,” Shaak Ti said gently, and then turned back to Ahsoka. “Now what caused you to charge down the halls of the Temple, my dear? If it is what I think it is, you might consider that we all would have been better served by discretion.”

 

Ahsoka felt her lekku twitch in embarrassment, and was slightly relieved to see Shaak Ti’s own lekku communicate a soothing _all is well_.

 

“It’s about Fives,” Ahsoka began.

 

“Yes, I heard you were ambushed at a meeting he set up. The word is now he is working with Separatists and selling information on how to disable his brothers,” Shaak said sharply, scarcely able to believe it, but unsure how to divine fact from fiction in the middle of all of this. Ahsoka shook her head.

 

“Fives isn’t working with the Seppies. He didn’t have time to tell us everything, but I think, from what Fives said, from how he was talking, I think he stumbled on something about the creation of the _vod’e_ , the troopers,” she clarified. “He mentioned the Chancellor, that the Chancellor is behind it, behind making the troopers a weapon, but not in the way they were advertised.”

 

“Are you certain about this? Are you certain we can trust him?” Shaak asked, eyes and voice hard, intent. To some, this would be intimidating, but Ahsoka knew it for what it was. A mother looking for a reason to protect her sons.

 

“Yes, yes I am,” Ahsoka said without hesitation.

 

“Then we have much work to do, and precious little time to do it in,” Shaak Ti said. “And very few we can trust.”

 

* * *

 

“This is morbid,” Zonder said softly, as he snuck into the GAR medical research facility. Technically, all clone troopers should be incinerated once they were declared dead. They were, after all, proprietary technology. Highly classified. But occasionally the Seppies crafted a new weapon and a good way to determine how the weapon worked, was to see how it worked on a body.

 

A trooper body.

 

“Morbid, perhaps, my young Padawan, but necessary if we are save the life of a good man, and his brothers,” Master Fisto said.

 

“I understand, Master,” Zonder said, and kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. Certainly he had no real horror of handling bodies, but perhaps it was not this task that upset him so much. No, Zonder felt that perhaps what upset him so much was that even after death these valiant men were not allowed to rest.

 

Still, they had a body to steal, and ensure looked exactly like ARC-trooper Fives.

 

And all they had to go on was Master Ti’s assurance that Fives had not lost his mind, because if they were wrong, they would all be guilty of betraying the Republic for true.

 

* * *

 

“She isn’t going to like this,” Rex said wearily. He was tired. Oh, his body could keep going, but his heart felt worn out and stretched thin. First Ahsoka had been accused of treason and now Fives. He only had been barely able to help his General, and he could do precious little for his little brother.

 

“Barriss can deal with it,” Ahsoka said, voice hard. “We’re trusting her with Fives and maybe all of the _vod’e_ , she’ll get over it. And since when did you are about what Barriss thought?” They were gathered in one of the Temple’s underground safety bunkers, a part so deep anyone outside the Temple didn’t know it existed. Shaak Ti and Kit Fisto had impressed upon Rex and Hook the need for secrecy about this place, but he wasn’t worried about that. He simply stood at his General’s side and waited and hoped that this would actually work.

 

“Since she’s got Fives under her protection. I’d rather not upset her too much, all things considered,” Rex said, and something in his voice must have given away some measure of his tiredness, because her blue eyes softened.

 

“I think she’s sincere, for what its worth. Mad, but sincere,” Ahsoka said, and then Rex heard it, just a light tap on the floor. He spun around, blasters at the ready.

 

“Please, Commander,” came a cultured voice, “I thought we were past that.” Rex grunted as he holstered his blasters, and Barriss walked into view. Then Fives came in after her, looking more like his calm self, though his tattoo had been removed and he wore a set of civvies.

 

“And you are correct, I do not like this meeting place, but I agree it is relatively safe for what we must discuss,” Barriss allowed.

 

“Great, glad we’re on the same page,” Ahsoka said briskly. Then she tapped her comm. “Zonder, we’re here. You can come through with your contribution.” Barriss’ eyes flashed, but then she seemed to get a hold on her temper as the large Selonian entered, pushing a pallet with a sheet draped over it.

 

“Barriss,” the Padawan said in his resonate voice, tone even. Then he saw Fives and brightened, his tail going up. “I’m glad to see you, Fives.”

 

Fives smiled.

 

“Good to see you too, lad,” Fives said.

 

“Zonder, I…” Barriss said, reaching forward, and Rex didn’t need to be a Jedi to sense the tension in the room. The Selonian’s ears flattened against his skull as he looked away. Barriss straightened stiffly in response.

 

“We agreed, no Masters are here, but know that we are working with Shaak Ti and my Master, Kit Fisto. But we care for these men, and hope that you will be able to aid us in their care,” Zonder said, and Rex ratcheted up his already high opinion of the young Jedi.

 

Barriss raised her chin, defiant and proud.

 

“There must always be a betrayer, there must always be darkness, but the question is what is betrayed, and how does the dark serve?” Barriss asked, haughty and cold. Rex felt sorry for the woman. He recalled her, from before. A bit stiff, a bit distant, but a Jedi. Now, he wasn’t sure what she was. He caught Ahsoka’s eyes, and saw a kind of grief there, for the friend that she once had.

 

But there was a job to do.

 

Ahsoka drew herself up in a way that drew people in instead of shutting them out, unlike her former friend.

 

“Zonder and Kit managed to get into GAR med research and found a duplicate for Fives. We’ll stage the body drop, and get you two out of the system. Zonder, you and Fives arrange a communications relay. Keep it between you two. They’ll be looking at my incoming comms carefully, but not yours,” Ahsoka said, and Zonder nodded.

 

“But first, Fives, you need to tell us everything you know,” she finished. And Fives told them. Told them about the chips, about them being in every last _vod_ , about the Chancellor being behind the creation of the clones and the chips in general. There was a lot Fives did not know, did not know the ultimate goals of the Chancellor, did not know what it all really meant, but Rex could take a few guesses.

 

So could the Jedi around him.

 

But hearing all of this, Rex’s head started to hurt.

 

On the right side.

 

“General,” he said, voice strangled. “Ahsoka.” His whole body seemed to twitch, like a droid being reset.

 

She turned to him, blue eyes wide, and he felt a rising panic in his chest.

 

And then everything went black.

 

* * *

 

Ahsoka watched as the chop-shop med droid closed the wound on Rex’s head. She had reacted quickly, knocking him out with the Force. They had scrambled, Zonder and Fives setting up a dedicated black-channel between them, and then Barriss and Fives were off, off and away to parts unknown. To do what, to find what, Ahsoka didn’t know.

 

Just that Fives would be alive, and Barriss was still drawing on the darkside to fuel her powers.

 

Her former friend had also lost her ability to heal, which had severely limited their options about how to deal with Rex, and the fact that too much information seemed to trigger the chip as well.

 

The Halls of Healing were right out, so they had ended up in a lower level chop-shop that asked no questions and had fewer health and safety regs. Shaak and Kit had been clear that the less who knew about this, the safer everyone was. And Ahsoka wondered again at Barriss’ talk of betrayal. If the Milarian wasn’t just talking about herself. But then, if the Chancellor really was behind this, or working for whoever was, then maybe it wasn’t such a betrayal.

 

Or maybe it really all depended on to whom you gave your loyalty.

 

Rex opened his eyes, blinking to clear the anesthetic.

 

“Ahsoka,” he said, voice raw and rasping. He reached up, one strong, dark hand. Shaak and Kit were in the other room, watching over Hook and his operation, so no one was there to see as she took his hand in her own and held it to her chest. Her other hand, she placed on his shoulder, applying a touch of pressure to let him know to stay at rest.

 

“I’m here,” she said softly, “the chip is gone. They’re removing it from Hook. Fives is off safe, and the news is over the holonet that they found Fives’ body, shot by Seppie weapons.” She laughed darkly. “It’s being spun as proof that even if you sell out, the Seppie’s will still kill you. A great victory for the Republic propaganda machine.”

 

“I almost… I would never,” he said, his eyes wide with horror, almost like after Umbara, after Krell.

 

“Shhhh, Rex, its okay, I know,” she said, and held onto his hand all the tighter. “We have to get back to the barracks, to tell the men and… and ship out again. But we’re okay. I promise, we’re okay.”

 

He nodded, and then fought her grip to sit up. Then he gave her a look with those golden eyes, like he could see right into her heart. He closed his eyes, collecting himself. When he opened them again, he was Commander Rex, through and through, and Ahsoka’s heart broke to see him shut off that part of himself so quick and total.

 

They had no other options at present.

 

“Then let’s go,” he said, hopping down from the table, gathering up his armor. “We need to Remember Tup… and not Fives, I take it.”

 

“No,” she said, a terrible weight seeming to settle on her chest. “Not Fives. But you and I can know he’s okay, we can have that, at least.”

 

“Its not much,” he said.

 

“But considering the alternative?” she asked. He huffed.

 

“It’ll be enough,” Rex settled on. It would have to be.

 

* * *

 

Shaak Ti normally felt that there was no point in getting _excitable_ about things. A certain vivacity was certainly acceptable, and a care and, yes, even love, for others was part of being alive. That said, she still worked to maintain her calm in all things.

  
But this… vileness could not stand.

 

She was _angry_. Righteously and furiously angry. She had known that her sons, all her beautiful, glorious sons, were a tool, a weapon. The Chancellor, or whoever was controlling him, had designed those men, who thought and felt, to be turned off at the flip of a switch and become _machines_.

 

There was more to discover. More to find out in Tipoca city. And now that she had ensured that her heart’s son would be safe, she would slowly, carefully return to her original mandate. She would out how deep the corruption went while trying to save the men she could.

 

Additionally, Shaak Ti thought that it might be time to call in an old friend, someone she could trust without question. Someone who greatly enjoyed foiling nefarious plots.

 

Because now was not the time to strike. Now was the time to wait in the grass for the enemy to make a mistake.

 

Then, then it would be time to strike.

  
And like any proud and fierce huntress, she would not hesitate. No. She would go right for the throat.

 

* * *

 

Kit and Zonder had their own mandate now. In addition to providing support, Zonder would keep an ear out for Fives and Barriss, to see if they learned anything. As for Kit, he would use what contacts he had to find out what the chips did. He and Shaak had decided not to tell the rest of the Council.

 

At least not right away.

 

Putting this to the Council would open this to debate, to investigation by less than discrete methods. And putting an enemy before Mace Windu. Kit might respect the man, but Windu was fairly predictable in some ways.

 

Rather than tell the Council, Kit would use the fact that he wandered about to their advantage. He could inform them in person, if he thought them safe. He could ensure the unit Commander had their chip removed. Safeguards could be put in place.

 

It would have to be on an individual basis, but what sat oddly with him was Ahsoka’s insistence that Anakin _not_ be told. She had only offered a feeling, a notion that it wouldn’t go well, in virtue of their long friendship. Kit had agreed, reluctantly, but he had agreed.

 

Skywalker was many things, but temperate was not one of them.

 

And so Kit would, ever so quietly, spread the word.

 

* * *

 

Ahsoka wanted to get drunk, wanted to lose herself in alcohol, but she held back. She was buzzed, but in relative control. Rex was as well, nursing his drinks, though that was usual for him.

 

“To Tup,” Kix said, voice solemn.

 

“Tup,” Jesse and Ven and Hammer echoed.

 

They had already said the words, said the litany, and now they had said his name. The grief wound around them and between them, thick and heavy, like something foul on her tongue. It made her ache, that they had all lost another brother, lost so far away from his battalion and not even on the field of battle, because of how much dying in a fight meant to them.

 

She also ached because they could not say Fives’ name. Not with the lie they had spun to keep the man alive and hidden and safe.

 

Ahsoka had been the one to tell Jarek that he was now in charge of ARC-squadron. And that Fives had been a traitor. She knew it would never go down easier, saying that, but to keep Fives alive, to maybe save all his brothers, it was a lie she would have to tell over and over again.

 

It also meant that all the ARCs were currently absent. Their programming was too good, their abhorrence of treason too deep. They would not mourn Fives as such, but they could avoid the idea that he had died badly.

 

It was all they could do, in a way.

 

“You remember the time,” Jesse began, “the time Tup got his first bit of color? He was so obsessed with making it look, what?”

 

“Elegant, I think was the word he used,” Hammer supplied, a grin flickering over his face.

 

“Yeah! Elegant!” Jesse exclaimed. “I mean…” Ahsoka listened to them tell stories, about his first paint on his armor, his interest in plants. Ven said he thought he might know where Tup had kept his pressed flowers. Taken from this or that world, dried and preserved and drawn.

 

Ahsoka wondered how much more of this she could take, and catching Rex’s eye, she knew he couldn’t take any more either.

 

She stood and raised her glass one last time. The rest of the men stood with her.

 

“To Tup,” she said softly, meeting the eyes of each man there. They drank, and she set her empty glass down and nodded at them.

 

Saying goodnight or goodbye, well. It would ruin that last gesture, so she didn’t say anything at all. Though she did sense their gratitude. Not many Jedi Generals drank and mourned with their men. She gave them one last nod, and Rex echoed her gesture, adding a clasp on the shoulder or a touching of foreheads as he silently bid his brothers goodnight.

 

They didn’t say anything as they walked, but she paused as she reached the doorway, to head back to the Temple. She might have an office here, but it was expected she rest in the Temple while on Coruscant rather than bunk among the army.

 

Leaning against the wall, she looked up at him, wondering at how only a few days of death and grief and secrecy and lies could wear a body out. How such things could get behind a person’s eyes and lodge there, fixed to the soul to stare out back at the world that had put them there in the first place. Ahsoka felt the moment stretch between them, two hearts that carried a terrible weight.

 

She reached up, her slim hand cupping his jaw, her fingers lightly stroking his cheek. He leaned into it, closing his eyes, the comfort, the contact, and she recalled how Rex rarely sought out comfort. He gave comfort freely to his brothers, as he had just done in the mess hall, but few brothers, if any touched Rex. It was, she knew, another way he cared for the men under his command: they did not have to worry about their Commander.

 

But it seemed so terribly lonely, when around him all his brothers were more free.

 

So she could do this for him.

 

Then he surprised her, as he sometimes did, by gently bringing his forehead to rest against hers. His skin was warm to the touch, humans running a few degrees hotter than Togruta, but not unpleasant. They had been close before, a hug here or there, curled up to conserve heat, any numerous times being trapped in close quarters on a battlefield. But this was different. This was deliberate.

 

“Ahsoka, I,” he breathed, his eyes still closed, and she closed her eyes as well, letting the feel of the moment guide her. She brushed his cheek again, fingers dancing lightly over his skin, tracing down his jaw and to his chin.

 

“It’s okay, Rex, it’s alright. You need it,” she said, knowing it for the truth. And knowing that she needed this as well. Jedi she might be, but she was so tired of trying to be something she was not. She was brash and loud and fierce and affectionate, and she would be these things while being a Jedi, too. These things might not be mutually exclusive.

 

“I,” he began to say, his voice soft and low, and she felt him draw closer to her, felt the change in his body and position. His mouth hovered near her own, and she felt herself respond in kind, a step closer, just tilt her head up, ever so slightly, and.

 

Her comm chimed.

 

Like they had been struck by an electro-staff, they broke apart. Rex’s eyes were momentarily wide with guilt, she thought, then he squared his shoulders and was once again the professional soldier. She tried not to dwell on the guilt in his eyes, or the longing and frustration she now felt.

 

“Tano here,” she said, holding the comm to her face.

 

“For interrupting your grief, apologize, I do,” came the voice of Master Yoda, and Ahsoka tried _not_ to think about what she had almost done, as though the Grand Master of the Order could sense it over a comm channel. “But for you a mission we have.”

 

“Of course, Master Yoda, I’ll come to the Temple right away,” she said, and cut the comm. Rex gave her a brief nod.

 

“I’ll get the men ready, General,” he said, tone even, and he had clamped down on his emotions. She wanted to tell him it was nothing to be guilty for, and that she should be the one that was guilty. There were so many imbalances in their relationship, for all that they were friends. She was his general, for one. For another, she had not paid close enough attention to his feelings, not gauged how he really felt before imposing her own emotional response. Was his response a matter of grief and needing comfort, or something more? She didn’t know. She didn’t know for herself, either.

 

It was all too complicated and upsetting right now, and oddly having a mission made life a little easier.

 

“Very good, I’ll be back as soon I have the briefing,” she said, and without so much as a backwards glance left the barracks.

 

 _No, don’t think about it, Ahsoka_ , she told herself. _Let it lie for now, but don’t let it fester._ As much as she would rather not talk about it, and she knew Rex would likely want to pretend it never happened, she knew she could not let it go. It would sit there between them, baleful and brooding until they could get around it. Because she would not let this ruin her friendship with him.

 

She had already lost too many friends.

 

She did not care to lose any more.

 

* * *

 

Palpatine read the report on the clone that had nearly ruined everything. How upsetting, to think that all his careful planning, all his subterfuge and plotting had nearly been undone by a _clone_. His lip curled and he thought the very word with sheer distain.

 

They were meant to be tools, nothing more. A multipurpose tool, but one that served _his_ ends. Not their own.

 

Furthermore, he could not help but notice that this clone was attached to Tano, that annoying slip of a girl who had been so recently attacked to Skywalker. While he had been pleased to see an end of their close partnership, she was still proving to be troublesome.

 

He doubted that everything ended as neatly as it appeared. The body was certainly clone in question. The ident chip and identifying markers were there, but something about this whole business nagged at him. However, before he acted too strongly against a young girl who was now a popular figure in her own right, he had to know certain things for certain.

 

And he had just the man for the job.

 

With a grim smile, he activated his comm.

 

“Tarkin here, sir, ready for your orders,” came the voice.

 

“My dear man,” Palpatine drawled. “I know you have been keeping abreast of the news, and you might have noticed that there was another traitor in our midst.”

 

“Yes, I did, sir. Most distressing that even the clones betray us now,” Tarkin said, and Palpatine could almost see the man’s iron grey eyes go as cold as his voice. It was a rather nice image, he thought.

 

“There is someone who has been central to such events, and I believe she might warrant more investigation. However, we must be discrete, you understand. We must know what she knows, if anything, but we must be careful,” Palpatine said, as though he actually worried about public opinion or the Jedi for their own sake.

 

“I understand completely, sir. Although, perhaps this will finally convince the Senate that… certain persons cannot remain outside the law,” Tarkin said, a note of eagerness coming into his voice now. Palpatine had always prided himself on finding the right tool for the job, and Tarkin would not be able to resist this quarry. Not for all the wealth and power in the galaxy.

 

“Good man,” Palpatine said, keeping his own voice in check. “I know you will perform admirably.”

 

“Thank you sir,” Tarkin said, and Palpatine cut the comm. He smiled to himself, looking out over the busy city-planet, working the plan over in his mind. It was new, this particular plan, only having been in the works some scant weeks, but it might serve his ultimate purpose to isolate Skywalker, to alienate him further from the Jedi.

 

Now, to work on the second half of the plan. To ensure that the Jedi took the blame for what was about to befall their poor, newly risen Knight-Errant.

 

* * *

 

Tarkin sat back in his chair as this desk, fingers steepled together as he considered the dossier before him. It was one he had complied himself on the girl. The trouble maker that, for him, had come to embody everything that was wrong with the Republic. That the Republic needed improving was in no doubt, and Tarkin knew exactly who would improve it.

 

Himself, of course. At the behest of the Chancellor.

 

He could find out all her little secrets, her little lies and evasions. Her darkness and her fears. Because for all that Tarkin prided himself on being a professional, he knew he was going to enjoy this.

 

Ahsoka Tano would soon face him as she had been meant to her at her trial. And he would finally triumph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Fives lives! And is on the run with Barriss. Yay? Rex and Ahsoka are slowly going somewhere, but of course not too fast, and its kind of awkward right now.
> 
> As hinted at, the next story is going to be very, very dark. Please be warned. (Although I feel like Palpatine POV should be its own trigger warning sometimes. This version of Tarkin, too.)
> 
> Will be trying a new thing, writing the full story than posting once a week, to maintain a more regular chapter update schedule. It'll mean a longer wait between fics, but less of a wait between chapters. I hope that's okay.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, leaving kudos, and commenting. <3


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